Cooperation Perspectives in the Western Balkans Since the Ukrainian War: Challenges, Obstacles, and Possibilities

Jelisavac Trošić, Sanja and Arnaudov, Mitko (2025) Cooperation Perspectives in the Western Balkans Since the Ukrainian War: Challenges, Obstacles, and Possibilities. The Review of International Affairs, 76 (1195). pp. 481-502. ISSN 0486-6096

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Abstract

Contemporary international relations, characterised by different challenges, risks, and threats, raise questions about the socalled traditional patterns of cooperation between states. On the other hand, the “traditional” theoretical framework related to the collaboration between states excludes concrete guidelines about the cooperation possibilities of small states. Based on the aforementioned, the double goal of this paper is the presentation of contemporary principles and conditions in the context of cooperation between states, while, on the other hand, the paper’s crucial scientific step is to examine the challenges, possibilities, and obstacles of international or regional cooperation of small and micro states, using the Western Balkans as a case study. The key research question is whether small states can lead cross-border regional cooperation and what the key determinants in that process are. From the theoretical perspective, the paper is based on neoclassical realism, a perspective which, in the contemporary context of international relations, explains the manoeuvring space of small states in their foreign policy actions.

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