Russian Foreign Policy towards the Balkans: which Perspective?

This analysis aims at explaining the nature of Russian foreign policy towards the Balkans taking into account the role of the European Union as an increasingly important player in this radically changed geopolitical context. Pressed by the growing importance of China and Turkey as emerging players in the region and excluded from the project of a united Europe, Moscow faces the risk that, after the Eurozone’ s financial storm, Brussels will develop a consistent strategy towards Balkans, further strengthening its geopolitical weight.

Against this background, this paper emphasizes the growing role of the driving forces behind Russian foreign policy towards the region: the securitization of the economic priorities and the economization of foreign policy. Through the analysis of the nexus securitization-economization, we intend to show how Russia might take advantage of the EU’s difficulty to better manage its current economic crisis.

ISPI: Analysis: Russian Foreign Policy towards the Balkans: which Perspective? [PDF] http://www.ispionline.it/sites/default/files/pubblicazioni/analysis_169_2013.pdf

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