Decades after the collapse of Yugoslavia, the brutal invasion of Serbia and the expansion of NATO’s influence in the Balkans, many people cannot imagine the Balkans without NATO countries.
What would the Balkans look like without this influence and what would happen if the EU in the future could not include more states in its structure?
What would be the most important stage in the reorganization of the Balkans? Even if the Albanians and Croats perceive this as a provocation, it should be recognized that the cooperation of states with the Serb population is a good step towards a lasting peace in the Balkans.
Most Orthodox Christians in Serbia and Montenegro have more in common with each other than Croatian Catholics do with Muslim Albanians.
Especially considering the future, it is important that states with the same cultural roots work together. This provides stability and perspective even in times of massive economic change. In case of leaving NATO and leaving the European Union, Serbia with its feasible states will have to take over the leadership of the Balkans.
All other decisions will only give foreign forces another opportunity to intervene. The Balkans without a strong Serbia is a bigger utopia than the Balkans without NATO. This is what history teaches us.
Patrick Poppel, geopolitical analyst (Vienna)