"In the Balkans, from Kosovo to
Bosnia, the EU has already lost ground to faster and culturally
more penetrating external actors like Turkey," stated Giuseppe
Colasanto, Deputy Commissioner of the State Police, who
participated in numerous missions in the world's most sensitive
regions, yesterday in Udine. Interviewed at the Einaudi
Bookstore in Udine during a public event as part of the
vicino/lontano festival, Colasanto delved into the themes of his
book Oltrefrontiera (Gaspari Editore, 2024) and shared his
direct experiences in crisis regions.
"Only by living in those places do you understand the reasons
of the other," highlighted the author, emphasizing the need "not
to impose one's categories on others, because otherwise, one
makes colossal misjudgments."
In Bosnia, he reported, one encounters situations bordering
on the paradox. "You see someone stopped at a traffic light, and
you know that they have killed 500 people. Everyone knows it,
but nobody knows when the trial will start," he explained,
pointing out that in a context "where justice seems slow and
ineffective, distrust is fostered, leaving room for new external
influences."
Colasanto underlined that Turkish influence has become an
integral part of daily life in Sarajevo. "Today, it feels more
like being in Izmir than Europe," he said. Cultural references
are shifting. Young people are looking less and less toward
Brussels and more toward Ankara and the Gulf capitals, where
they find opportunities and a sense of belonging that Europe
struggles to offer."
With his upcoming focus Middle East Express, Colasanto will
explore the dynamics of a region "that is increasingly
precarious, where every event," he concluded, "can unpredictably
upset the balance."
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