Ontological Security as a Factor in Balkan Geopolitics

Proroković, Dušan (2024) Ontological Security as a Factor in Balkan Geopolitics. Studia Europejskie – Studies in European Affairs, 28 (3). pp. 73-87. ISSN 1428-149X

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Abstract

The term “Balkanisation” is used in the description of unstable regions where actors of international relations (states and peoples) are most often in continuous and intractable confl icts. Why did the Balkans become the birthplace of this term? Why do the confl icts in the Balkans last and seem intractable in the long term? In searching for answers to these research questions, the author relies on the methods of discourse analysis (examining perceptions) and comparative analysis (comparing perceptions that are mutually opposed and irreconcilable). The theoretical framework of this research is based on a combination of theses of social constructivism (perceptions that shape ontological security) and structural realism (as perceptions materialise in certain foreign and security policies of states). The hypothesis being proven is as follows: confl ict potential in the Balkans is determined by ontological factors that represent important factors of security perceptions of different nations and geopolitical conceptions of different states. As a result, different perceptions infl uence the formation of opposing geopolitical conceptions, which leads to continuous appearances of aspirations for a territorial reconfi guration of space and changing borders, which is why a high level of interstate and/or interethnic mistrust is maintained over a long period of time. The concluding remarks are devoted to the presentation of views on how there are several reasons for Balkanisation, since this process is infl uenced not only by Balkan actors, but also by non-Balkan actors (big and regional powers with their own perceptions and geopolitical conceptions). That is why the attempts to stabilise the region initiated during the previous century were generally short-lived and were limited in scope. The tangle of different perceptions and mutually irreconcilable geopolitical goals of Balkan and non-Balkan actors results in ongoing Balkanisation.

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