Chairman Rohrabacher on the hearing: “As the new Administration begins to put in place the pieces of their foreign policy, now is an appropriate time for Congress to reevaluate and consider our approach to the Western Balkans. I, like many observers of the region, have been frustrated by the lack of political reconciliation, economic development and stability. I fear that the status quo cannot continue indefinitely and that political backsliding is possible. This hearing will give the Subcommittee the chance to hear from both Administration officials and private experts on that current state of the region and what further actions or policy changes may be needed to ensure the Western Balkans continue to move in a direction of good governance and ethnic tolerance.”

Opening Statements

Witnesses

Panel I

Mr. Hoyt Brian Yee
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
U.S. Department of State
[full text of statement]

Panel II

Gordon N. Bardos, Ph.D.
President
South East European Research and Consulting
[full text of statement]
[truth in testimony form]

The Honorable Joseph J. DioGuardi
Founding President
Albanian American Civic League
(Former Member of Congress)
[full text of statement]
[truth in testimony form]

Daniel Serwer, Ph.D.
Academic Director of Conflict Management
School of Advanced International Studies
Johns Hopkins University
[full text of statement]
[truth in testimony form]

____________________________

Hearing transcript (PDF)