The impact of geopolitical conditions in the emergence of postmodern military in the western Balkans: The cases of Croatia and Albania

Abstract

The phrase the postmodern military comes from a theoretical concept whose creator was American military sociologist Charles Moskos. His idea was to observe, analyze and conceptualize the role of the military in society and state, after the end of the Cold War. The period since the Cold War until today Moskos named as "postmodern". During this time, the new world order and power balance created a security constellation with specific features. The collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the bipolar division of the world, the different physiognomy of war and security threats, marked the new geopolitical context. In these conditions, NATO as one of the most important political-military alliances was challenged to create a response to new security threats with the asymmetric character. As a result, NATO adapted its capacities and function through an intensive process of reform and modernization. The Alliance became more attractive for many states which were not members, especially because they could not rely on their individual efforts in the complex security environment. From the perspective of these states, integration in NATO could provide them support, protection, and also an improvement for their armies. One of the main points in integrations was to adopt standards which were related to the modernization of military. Through modernization and its implementation, one of the main tasks was to reduce forces, making them more adaptable and capable to face with potential threats. Bearing in mind that the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Albania are one of the first states in the Western Balkans that have become NATO members, they are considered as reference research facilities. By analyzing their strategic and doctrinal documents, the obtained insight leads us to the next conclusions. From a theoretical point of view, creating postmodern armies with all characteristics that Charles Moskos attributes in his theory are compatible with the armies of the states which are the members of NATO. Based on this thesis, the application of Charles`s theoretical concept was justified. Also, the results have confirmed the general hypothesis which refers to the fact that the geopolitical circumstances, in an indirect way through the adaptation and integration processes in the NATO Alliance, have influenced the creation of a postmodern military in the way that Moskos represents. A wider political dimension is reflected in the commitment of Croatian and Albanian defense policies to the peaceful and defensive goals, such as international peace and stability.