The Importance of Independent Media and Confronting Turkish Coercion in the Balkans

Under Erdogan, Turkey has systematically tried to expand its economic and political influence over the Balkans. After investing millions in the Balkans to build new mosques and schools, establish media organizations sympathetic to Turkey, and support pro-Erdogan political parties, Erdogan has become one of the most influential spiritual leaders of Islamic communities in the Western Balkans. Mosques built in Kosovo, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Albania are political establishments meant to promulgate Erdogan's Islamist vision. Journalists and media organizations critical of Erdogan's Islamic agenda face pressure, threats, and propaganda produced by a highly effective pro-Erdogan media machine. As a result, fewer journalists in the region are willing to expose Turkish influence operations.