The Three Things (Ep. 9)--Balkan instability, the Polish visa scandal and the Ukrainian war update

This week’s Three Things with Preston Smith, courtesy of The Corners Magazine () focuses on the tinderbox we call the Balkans, the Polish visa scandal and what it means for upcoming elections and the always present Ukrainian War Update. Each section of the Three Things runs approximately 15-20 minutes (or more), and we have provided markers to help you get where you need to go. This week’s segments include: 3:23 The Balkan tinderbox--Kosovo and Serbian headbutting was once again brought to the fore with failed negotiations in Brussels. But this time it was clearly Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti who did not want to move forward. What does this mean in the midst of instability in Bosnia (which has an all but dysfunctional political system), mafia issues highlighted by an attempt to tunnel into the evidence storage area of the High Court in Podgorica, Montenegro and constant bickering across the region. Here’s a clue: yes, the risk is high for dramatic escalation. 20:04 The Polish visa scandal threatens to wallop the reigning Law-and-Justice (PiS) government ahead of the elections, with the opposition alleging that foreigners paid illegally for not hundreds but hundreds of thousands of visas. Is this likely? And what are the likely repercussions ahead of the coming elections? Let’s try to be objective here. 39:21 The Ukrainian War Update--the Ukrainians have used drones with devastating efficiency, but time is running out if they are going to make a successful run to Tokmak and change the course of the war prior to the rainy season. Is the good news to be believed--we hope so, but a conservative, cautious take may be in order. Photo attributions: Attributions Razman Kadyrov by , CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Viktor Orban photo by the European People’s Party, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Vucic by Medija Centar Beograd, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Albin Kurti by Arianit, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia CommonsArianit, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Milorad Dodik by , CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Edi Rama by CEEC-China 2018, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Volodymyr Zelenskyy by President Of Ukraine from Україна, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Josep Borell bty European University Institute from Italy, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Sarajevo war photo by LT. STACEY WYZKOWSKI, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Kosovo war photoby Nick Macdonald (), CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Richard Holbrooke photo by Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Bill Clinton, Holbrooke and Milosevic National Archives and Records Administration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Christian Schmidt photo by EU2017EE Estonian Presidency, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Maps courtesy of Deepstate UA. Mateusz Morawiecki photo by Włodarczyk - , CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons