Appeasement and Aftermath: What Banjska Revealed About the West

In a charged London chamber, voices clashed over Kosovo, Serbia, and Western appeasement, exposing Europe’s uneasy conscience and the perilous politics of power, principle, and paralysis.

On the first night of The Gunpowder Chronicles’ new debate series, The Situation Room, the chair announced a hitch. “We had a last minute cancellation from the good ambassador,” said moderator

Michael Sheppard

, adding that it was due to “unforeseen circumstances.” And with that, the evening pressed on, no ceremony, little cushioning into a subject already freighted with grievance and distrust: whether Europe’s support for Serbia undermines democracy and security in the Western Balkans.

The motion was put plainly. As Sheppard read it, the proposition held that the Banjska attack of 24 September 2023 in Kosovo was “direct proof that Europe’s support for Serbia undermines democracy and security in the region.” The format promised “evidence, clarity, and persuasion.” What it delivered was something starker: a clash of worldviews about law and legitimacy, about appeasement and accommodation, and about where responsibility truly lies when a frozen conflict thaws in bursts of violence.

Kosovo, Serbia, and the West: Appeasement on Trial in London

The briefing: a chronol…