Is nationalism fading in the Balkans?

I spent the first weekend of June in Serbia's capital of Belgrade. This was my first visit to the emerald green city where the Danube and the Sava rivers meet. I had, unfortunately, very little time to look around the city, which was part of the Ottoman Empire for 300 years between 1521 and 1841. I still managed to go see the Kalemegdan (Kale Meydanı) fortress overlooking the rivers. The Sahat (watch) tower, the inner and outer Stambol (Istanbul) gates and the Zindan gate and towers seemed to be the few signs providing reminders of its Ottoman history. The streets of central Belgrade are closed to car traffic. The flocks of people promenading or having drinks in the many cafes on those streets did not seem to me to be bothered at all either by Kosovo's declaration of independence or by the government crisis produced by the... [read full story]