The Fate of the Western Balkans regional security Subcomplex - the Necessity of regional Cooperation

Abstract

We refer to the Western Balkans as a regional security subcomplex that is only part of a wider, European complex. It consists of all the states of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, except Slovenia, including Albania. It is a region that had a very turbulent past and which is still, in many ways, specific. Relations between the countries of the Western Balkans are determined by unresolved issues from the past, very intense regional security dynamics, as well as projections of the interests of global powers. However, even in such circumstances, regional cooperation is imperative in the fight against terrorism, illegal migration, transnational organized crime, and other serious threats and challenges to regional security and stability. The paper will present the basic geopolitical and security characteristics of the regional security subcomplex Western Balkans. Based on that, we will be able to get a full picture of the necessity of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans in the light of Euro-Atlantic integration and the construction of a kind of security community in the region.