Rethinking NATO engagement in the Western Balkans

• NDC Policy Brief 11-22: Rethinking NATO engagement in the Western Balkans , by Ismet Fatih Cancar *

Recently NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recognized Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)
as a possible frontier for Russian activities following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.1
These activities,
best illustrated by the threat from the Russian ambassador to Sarajevo of a Ukrainian scenario should BiH
seek NATO membership, raises an important question:
why is BiH of particular importance to the Euro-Atlantic Alliance? First, the Western Balkans is unfinished
business for NATO and for countries in the region that
have recognized NATO integration as a strategic goal.
Second, other actors, primarily Russia and China, have
established interests that compete with NATO’s engagement in the Western Balkans. Third, the interests
of these external actors undermine Euro-Atlantic security on the eastern flank. As a result, there are benefits for NATO in increasing cooperation with BiH and
the Western Balkans in order to prevent the possible
return of conflict to the region.

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