The bright side of Balkan politics: Cooperation in the Balkans

• Published in: Journal of southeast European and Black Sea studies 2002-01, Vol.2 (1), p.10-22
• Main Authors: Kut, Sule, Sirin, N Asli
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Balkan States; Development Strategies; European Union; International Conflict; International Cooperation; Nationalism; Political cooperation; Political stability; Post-communist societies; Regime transition; Regional Development; Regional studies; Southeast Europe; United States of America
• ISSN: 1468-3857; 1743-9639
• DOI: 10.1080/14683850208454669

Despite the legacy of Balkan Wars early in the 20th century & some deeply conflictual relations in the Balkans, examples of cooperation have not been scarce in the region. Cooperation efforts started in 1930 & continued in the 1950s & the 1960s. However, postwar attempts at cooperation failed mostly because of the Cold War environment, which set apart Greece & Turkey, on one hand, & their Balkan neighbors, on the other. Such efforts were revived in the late 1980s, while in the 1990s the Yugoslav conflicts delayed cooperation initiatives but also proved their necessity. Without denying the existence of disputes, most Balkan states have managed to develop their bilateral relations & to participate in regional cooperation schemes. In the 1990s Balkan countries have been involved in a number of initiatives, which can be classified in three categories: (1) economic cooperation schemes; (2) political cooperation schemes; & (3) military cooperation schemes. From 1996 to 1998, multilateral meetings of Balkan leaders took place. Currently, several schemes, initiated by the EU & the US, are still under way. The further success of cooperation schemes will depend on the full commitment of interested parties, the nonexclusionary character of the schemes, & good management of financial resources. 22 References. Adapted from the source document.