DISINFORMATION AFFECTS ALL SOCIETIES; IT IS NECESSARY TO ENCOURAGE CRITICAL THINKING

Modern civilization created what could be the weapon of mass destruction of society, and we do not know what will happen and what circumstances we can excpect in 15-20 years. This is one of the messages conveyed during the last panel discussion under the title ”Age of disinformation: learning resilience and living with lies” within To Be Secure (2BS) Forum in Budva. 

The panelists said, among other things, that disinformation affects all societies, and that disinformation is just the tip of the iceberg. Therefore, critical thinking should be encouraged through media literacy campaigns.

Robert Pszczel, Senior Officer for Russia and the Western Balkans of NATO PDD thinks that when speaking about disinformation, one has to put them in a certain context. 

”This is a part of a widespread disease. Disinformation is oftenly connected. Awareness of all this has just been created. Different actors have different responsibilities. The youth is overfocused on media platforms”, he said.

He appealed for investigative journalism, stating that a good investigative journalist is a rare sort in this part of the world. 

”Televison remains very important”, said Pszczel.

Arnis Šnore, Deputy Director of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, said that they consider this issue one of the means of a wider hybrid environment. 

 To realize where we stand now and what we have to do in order to become more resilient is the most important thing, according to him.

”Tradicional media must adhere to the laws, they are responsible if they publish lies. The same thing should apply to platforms, they do not make the exception simply because they are ”platforms”. They are gaining profit, and that is exactly why their responsibility is greater” said Šnore, who also evaluated that we are currently fighting the consequences of the information.

Rufin Zamfir, Program Director of GlobalFocus Center in Romania said that disinformation is ”just the tip of the iceberg”.

”That’s what keeps me awake. The fact is that disinformation and propaganda are the most visible in our societies, but subversion is something we cannot see. The relations between the business world and the politics is troubling. We often believe in lies, since they reflect our own covictions and fill the gaps we wish have been filled”, stated Zamfir. 

Part of the issue, as he said, is not the result of disinformation campaigns, but also the result of false information or misinformation. 

”And here the critical thinking that needs to be encouraged by media literacy campaigns takes effect.  It is something that affects the society as a whole”, he said. 

Zamfir stated that media reporting in Serbia is not the result of Russia’s actions. It is the result of the regulation of the Governement and the President Aleksandar Vučić. 

Nicolas de Pedro, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Statecraft, said that we are far from fully understanding the challenges we are facing and that fact is alarming.

”We are connected 24/7, information is the beating heart of our lives, we use social networks, we created the thing that can be the weapon of mass destruction of the society. We have no idea what will happen and in what circumstances we will find ourselves in 15 or 20 years. We shoud bare in mind that disinformation is not a domain, it is something which affects all societies. This is not the issue of two or three media outlets, this is a phenomenon influencing the society“, stated de Pedro. 

Russia knows how to use the system for undermining, and we need to create a strategy that will help us fight it, he explained.

“I think that we are far away, that we do not have the proper understanding of the problem, it is difficult to develop a strategy because of the nature of challenges and threats. In the foreseeable future, we will lack the most powerful asset, and that’s the narrative”, said de Pedro.

Tomáš Kriššák, Project Coordinator of Open Society Foundation in Bratislava, said that sometimes he has to stay awake the whole night just in order to prevent disinformation. 

“They keep us awake. Every day we wake up and see a new media scene created by an ocean of information, some of which are toxic. The great challenge and the problem is the impact on our lives and society. We are reprogramming a new civilization. We are the worst version of ourselves, “said Kriššák, who also identified the amount of information that is in fact disinformation as extremely problematic.

He stated that social platforms were made by a man, and everything made by a man can be used in a good and a bad way.

”We should teach people how to use the platforms properly. It is understandable to say that in this period the platforms may make mistakes, but after years of existence, a determined action that implies a better way of moderating has to be undertaken. Take for example Facebook moderators, who are quite unprofessional”, said Kriššák

STALLING THE PROGRESS TOWARDS THE EU WOULD STRENGHTEN THE NATIONALISM IN THE REGION

The President of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović and his counterpart Hashim Thaçi, the President of Kosovo, concluded that strategic and political struggles are still present in the Balkans, nationalism is still alive, and is a consequence of historical lagging behind of the region, while the stalling on the path to the EU integration will be a generator of nationalism growth. 

The two presidents participated in the panel discussion ”Presidential discussion: In the mind of a leader” at the 9th To Be Secure (2BS) Forum in Budva. 

Speaking on the topic of the greatest concerns of a leader in the region, Đukanović said that the main preoccupation, but also daymare and nightmare is the question of  ”how to achieve what we have committed ourselves to as a strategic task.”

He evaluated that two powerful movements dominate the Balkan area.

”The first one is led by the governments aspiring to bring their countries to the EU and NATO, while the other one, not so powerless and not to be underestimated, is the one wanting to preserve the status quo. There are the reasons why they are against that movement.  This is not only a Balkan issue, but the European and Euro-Atlantic issue as well” said Đukanović

It is clear, as he said, that Montenegro is a leader on the path towards the EU and it is important to strengthen the regional cooperation. 

”It is clear now, at least in regard to Montenegro, that we are at a turning point to return the region to its European home. The solution lies in economic and democratic development. The strategic direction is the return to European home and value system, and the aim is to achieve the European quality of life”, stated Đukanović. 

Asked how he perceives the future of the European Union (EU), Đukanović stated that Europe will have to redesign itself.  

 ‘’There is no better consolidation of Europe than its union, which signifies the stability and usage of all the resources that will strengthen our competitiveness. Crises showed that there are serious flaws in the EU architecture’’, stated Đukanović. 

He is of opinion that the path will further lead to the recognition of the importance of Europe’s unification, ‘’which is of significance for Europe and our Euro-Atlantic partner”.

”This will have to include a certain reprofiling of Europe. I hope that flaws in Europe’s architecture will not overshadow the vision, and the vision is the Europe united in terms of competitiveness and stability”, emphasized Đukanović, addding that strengthening of Euro-Atlantic integration is the key. 

We must aspire to functional democracy, which is inexistent if certain actors abstain from political life, said Đukanović.

 “Please, let me explain this. Currently, we are the witnesses of the “repertoire on the scene” which includes a diverse destruction of democracy in this region. There is also an attempt of the opposition which wants to question the independence of Montenegro as well as particular decisions that Montenegro made, such as the Kosovo independence issue. They are desperately trying to present Montenegro as a dysfunctional country through the obstruction of institutions”, said Đukanović. 

Đukanović stated that the reason of nationalism in the Balkans lies in ‘’historical lagging behind of the region’’.

 “We all were sure that we combatted the idea of a high-state nationalism in the region, after the Dayton Agreement. But we did not, as we can see. The idea of nationalism is still alive. The fact that some forms of these ideas are approved by particular international instances should concern us, since it was not the case earlier”, said Đukanović.

It is not the time to play on the small fields, he said speaking about integration. One has better odds on the bigger field. 

 “Many are not ready to play at the Wembley Stadium, but it is not time to play only at the Sutjeska or Budućnost Stadium. One has better odds when playing on the bigger field. The third parties interfere and the problem occurs. We are the witnesses of the rebirth of one problem and if we thought that the problem from 1995 is solved, our opponents are clearly assuring us that it is not true. Our place is in the wider integration context”, said Đukanović.

To the question of how to successfully build multiethnic democracy, Đukanović stated that he unwaveringly believes in such concept, since every other alternative seems regressive.

”Every other approach is the attempt to ignore reality. Major players appeared on the global scene. Take a look at our neighborhood, it is not wise to look at each other through weapons’ scope. The solution is to build partnership. Montenegro is a multiethnic community”, said Đukanović, stating that any other concept would be an introduction to ethnic cleansing. 

He explained that the concept of multiethnic democracy must be the foundation of our policy and must equally be supported by those who are more developed than us. 

 ‘’Even beyond Montenegrin borders, there are detours from this policy. The European elections are not as catastrophic as it was expected, but, there was a turn to the right which may be encouraging for some in the region”, said Đukanović.

While commenting the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Đukanović said that the years will be lost if we miss this opportunity and the best example for that is the decades-long lagging behind of the North Macedonia in a dispute with Greece.

”If I were an actor in this, which luckily I am not, I would try to find a solution by respecting the Badinter’s formula. Every deviation brings a certain danger. Serbia and Kosovo are not the only ones demarking, the demarcation between Serbia and Croatia is ahead of us, as well as Serbia and Bosnia, Bosnia and Croatia”, Đukanović pointed out, stating that the most crucial thing right now is the return of Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia and Hashim Thaçi to the negotiating table.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi said that official Prishtina is working hard on improvement of relations, and the main challenge is the acceleration of the EU accession process. 

He said that he is happy to be president to the citizens who are mostly pro-EU oriented, and that Kosovo is a successful story. 

”Obstacles can be overcome, but we cannot return to a position of daily political populism. After the membership of Montenegro in NATO and Prespa agreement, organizing of Kosovo Army and good communication that we are establishing with the neighbors in the region, I am optimistic”, said Thaçi. 

However, as he admits, the majority of dissatisfaction comes from the EU, which is slowing down the processes. 

“There is no any progress when it comes to the attitude towards Kosovo, success and achievements are not recognized, especially when it comes to the issues of Visa liberalization. The citizens have a hard time understanding it”, Thaçi said.

When it comes to nationalism, he says that we all have learnt something from the past, where the nationalism is leading and what kind of tragedies and consequences it has left in the Balkans.

 ‘’The region is not in the Dayton period and Serbia and Kosovo are not in the Rambouillet period. The region has changed for the better, but, the more the EU lags behind, the more nationalistic ideas will be in Kosovo. If Kosovo remains isolated, the rise of nationalism will occur, which is not in accordance with the Euro-Atlantic values. The EU perspective should be closer to the citizens. Otherwise, the conflict will be in focus, not the reconciliation. People will rightfully wonder if the EU wants Kosovo“, said Thaçi.

He said that the creation of the Republic of Srpska in Kosovo would destabilize it, admitting that the dialogue of the two countries is in crisis. The specificity of relations between Serbia and Kosovo due to the hard past affect this, but also, the difficulty to bring the final decision on the normalization of relations.

‘’In Serbia, that is a very delicate issue due to the false Kosovo Myth which is imposed on Serbia. This is the best moment to solve the problem. We are going back to the state of frozen conflict which may escalate. The agreement will bring peace to the whole Western Balkans“, Thaçi believes.

The President of Kosovo said that the territory exchange between Kosovo and Serbia was not at all on the agenda. He also mentioned the demarcation between Montenegro and Kosovo, stating that he was harshly criticized for this, but, this did not leave any negative impact on Montenegro, nor Kosovo.

Serbia led a very aggressive campaign in order to prevent the international consolidation of Kosovo, he said.

„Obstacle for the UNESCO membership is the result of the Serbia’s campaign. I do not advocate for the Palestinian model for the consolidation of Kosovo“, said Thaçi.

He announced the information that more than 70 percent of citizens want the agreement with Serbia which would be final and legally binding, in order to preserve the spirit, character and multiethnicity of Kosovo.

Speaking about his vision of the EU, Thaçi said that he wants to see the new approach towards the Western Balkans after the European elections.

 ‘’When it comes to the other ideas related to the Islamic fundamentalism, here on Kosovo we have traditional Islam, tolerant Islam which implies coexistence with others. We have the coexistence of the Islam, Orthodoxy and Catholicism“, Thaçi said.

In spite of traditional Islam in Kosovo, the identity of that country is European, he said.

’’The elements of extremism were not successful in 1998 or 1999. Nobody was tolerated. That is why we gained trust of the international community“, said Thaçi with the evaluation that Albanians in the region are fair people who think in a constructive manner.

‘’And that is an excellent accomplishment. There are no leadership deficits. These two leaders, Đukanović and Thaçi are creating history“. 

THE CONCLUSION OF THE SECOND PANEL OF 2BS FORUM: EUROPE NEEDS NATO ALLIANCE FOR PEACE AND STABILITY ON THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT

Developments in the Balkans show that Europe needs NATO Alliance for peace and stability of the European continent, is one of the messages conveyed during the panel discussion “Security reimagined: Ironclad commitment to the transatlantic alliance put to test“ which took place within the framework of To Be Secure (2BS) Forum in Budva. 

During his keynote speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Srđan Darmanović, noted that all the crises in member states are helping them understand that the existence of the Alliance is more important than differences they have in terms of viewpoints. 

“The developments in the Balkans show that Europe needs NATO and that NATO is important for the stability of the European continent. That is why we should advocate for more NATO-oriented solutions that will ensure progress in European defence capabilities, but also within the NATO Alliance. If we fulfill the obligations defined in Wales, we are investing  in our unity and solidarity” said Darmanović.

Defence spending, as he said, is not only a matter of equitable burden-sharing, but is essentially an issue of credibility and political unity of the Alliance. 

“Montenegro, still the newest ally, is currently 13th in the range of expenditures intended for the defence of 29 allies and is fully committed to fullfilling the obligation from Wales until 2024”, stated Darmanović.

In Darmanović’s opinion, NATO today operates in the most complex security environment in its history, countering “more diverse range of threats than ever before, from both east and the south“.

“Growing international assertiveness of Russia, its revisionist policy characterized by agressive actions is one of the most exciting features of the time we live in“, stated Darmanović. 

Steven Erlanger, Chief Diplomatic Correspondent in Europe for The New York Times, addressed the earlier statement of the American president, Donald Trump about how Montenegro could start the Third World War,  by saying that he has an impression that Montenegrins are very tall and very kind people. 

David Konecký, Political Director of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Montenegro achieved remarkable progress.

He thinks that the membership in NATO or the EU is only the beginning. 

“NATO has to act for the benefit of every member and I think it does in regard to Russia“,stated Konecký.

Bruno Lété, Senior Fellow from the German Marshall Fund of the United States said that he aways gets astonished by how NATO pays far too little attention to China.

“China is an inevitable factor in European security. It already is in the economic system, China owns roads, ports“, said Lété.

As for Europe, he is of the opinion that the Europeans have not decided on the best model for their security. 

Stefano Stefanini, Director of Project Associates’ Brussels Office, stated that the cooperation between NATO and the EU represents an extremely significant issue. 

He thinks that reacting collectively on the question of China is not advisable. Speaking of the so-called common European army, he stated that the phrase “European army” should be prohibited.

Judy Ansley, Senior Advisor of the US Atlantic Council’s Future Europe Initiative, highlighted that the enhancement of competitiveness of major powers and Russian activities are the key threat to NATO.

“If we observe the activities performed in the Balkans, such as coup attempt in Montenegro or the developments in Ukraine, we can see that Russia is operating on the ground”. “NATO adapted well to those threats”, she estimated, stating that “we must be aware of the threats and react to them.”

Ansley also said that everyone is finding the capacity to combat hybrid threats within its own country. 

When it comes to Russia and Turkey, her greatest concern is Ankara’s purchase of Russian equipment.  She highlighted that she is not worried about China’s investments in Europe. 

Robert Pszczel, Senior Officer for Russia and the Western Balkans, stated that NATO must adapt. 

“If we did not adapt, we would not have a comprehensive cyber crime policy,” he said, adding that awareness of what Russia is doing today has increased.

Referring to the Turkish plans for purchase of Russian S-400 system, he stated that Turkey is a highly valued member of NATO, and that he would feel bad if any bilateral dispute arose.

Commenting on the possible impact of Brexit on NATO, Konecký said that models of cooperation are imaginable in the future, while Stefanini stated that there will be a political influence exerted on NATO. 

“The United Kingdom is a bond between Washington and Europe”,said Stefanini.