Die Lander des westlichen Balkan auf dem Weg in die NATO. Vom Krisenmanagement zur Integration

In: Südost-Europa: journal of politics and society, Band 58, Heft 2

Abstract

This article analyzes the strategy, criteria & evolution of NATO's enlargement towards the Western Balkans, a topic largely neglected in the research literature thus far. Based on an in-depth discussion of the specific design of NATO's enlargement process, particularly the criteria for accession & the socialization strategy, the author investigates the process up to the present, including the recent accession of Albania & Croatia. He presents the state of affairs for individual countries, including Serbia & Kosovo, & draws conclusions for the future. The author argues that a paradigm change from crisis management to integration has been taking place since 1999. Secondly, he maintains that the war in Georgia in 2008 has triggered a shift of priorities with regard to the Western Balkans. And thirdly, he expects NATO's enlargement strategy in the Western Balkans to slow down in the medium-term, due to the grave structural impediments faced by almost all the successor states of the former Yugoslavia. Adapted from the source document.