Serbia and the Global South: Between Non-alignment Policy and a Multi-alignment Strategy

Mitić, Aleksandar (2025) Serbia and the Global South: Between Non-alignment Policy and a Multi-alignment Strategy. Romania Occidentala, 4 (1). pp. 61-71. ISSN 2821-532X

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Abstract

The Republic of Serbia pursues a foreign policy which stands out among its Balkan neighbors and wider European Union members and candidates. The legacy of socialist Yugoslavia’s leadership in the Non-Aligned Movement, the 1999 NATO bombings, and the 2008 EU-US masterminding of “Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence”, in violent breach of international law, play an important role in the strategic posturing of the country, reducing the chances of West-bound bandwagoning. Indeed, since 2014, Belgrade has been negotiating EU membership in a sluggish if not stalled process, while at the same time reinforcing its military neutrality. The struggle to preserve territorial integrity regarding Kosovo has furthermore implied a strong diplomatic leaning in the UN Security Council on the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation, including decisions not to harmonize with EU restrictive measures against the two. In the process, Serbia has strengthened its energy cooperation with Russia, elevated the formal status of its bilateral relations with China to the highest level in Europe, and pursued an active diplomatic policy towards the Global South vying for support regarding Kosovo and economic diversification. Such an approach, with its hedging features, has not been welcomed by Brussels. This paper looks at the context of Serbia’s quest to (re)establish close cooperation with the Global South, at the opportunities and also at the limitations of this pursuit.

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