ISSUE: 2/2026
- Volume 30
- Number 2
- 2026
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Studia Europejskie –
Studies in European Affairs
ISSN: 1428-149X
e-ISSN: 2719-3780
License
Articles published in the journal are under a Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial – No Derivatives 4.0 International License
Publication co-financed by Ministry of Science and Higher Education pursuant to the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 3 August 2021 (Journal of Laws of 2021, item 1514) on the “Development of Scientific Journals” programme.
Publikacja dofinansowana przez Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego na podstawie rozporządzenia Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z 3 sierpnia 2021 r. (Dz. U. z 2021 r. poz. 1514) w sprawie programu „Rozwój czasopism naukowych”.
Publication co-financed by the University of Warsaw within the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” programme.
Czasopismo otrzymało dofinasowanie w ramach Programu „Inicjatywa Doskonałości – Uczelnia Badawcza”.
CEE and the Western Balkans in Global Security Architecture: Navigating Between NATO, the EU, and Neutrality
Abstract
The Central and Eastern European (CEE) region and the Western Balkans occupy a strategically significant position within the evolving European and global security architecture. Since the end of the Cold War, states in these regions have pursued divergent security trajectories, ranging from full integration into NATO and the European Union to policies of military neutrality and multi-vector foreign policy orientations. This article examines the evolution of the regional security environment through the roles of NATO and the EU, while also assessing the continued relevance of neutrality as a strategic option. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative comparative analysis along with a literature review. Particular attention is devoted to unresolved conflicts, hybrid threats, and democratic backsliding as key determinants of security outcomes. The central argument advanced in this article is that the Western Balkans remains a strategically fluid and only partially consolidated security space, where historical legacies, domestic political constraints, and external geopolitical pressures intersect. Consequently, security alignment in the region remains differentiated, context-dependent, and subject to ongoing transformation.
References
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DOI: 10.33067/SE.2.2026.1
Language: English
Pages: 7-23
How to Cite:
Harvard
Mahmutović, F. (2026) "CEE and the Western Balkans in Global Security Architecture: Navigating Between NATO, the EU, and Neutrality". Studia Europejskie – Studies in European Affairs, 2/2026, pp. 7-23. DOI: 10.33067/SE.2.2026.1