Security Belongings in South East Europe: Divergences and Convergences
Security Belongings in South East Europe: Divergences and Convergences

Summary/Abstract: This study purposes to draw a framework on how South East European countries have been defining themselves in terms of belonging to a security community in the Post-Cold War era and aims to present remarkable differences and similarities between the South East European countries in this respect. It is one of the significant questions whether South East European countries define themselves within the same security community or their “security belongings” are differentiated. The response to these questions also reveals the structural and historical differences between the South East European countries and therefore they are worth to analyze. The paper examines the concrete outputs of the security belonging perception of these countries by analyzing their alliances with the other countries in the region, their membership of international organizations and their approach to the specific security challenges in a comparative perspective. Taking “security community” approach as a theoretical base, the methodology of the study is constructed upon a comparative perspective by focusing on the security alliances and initiatives in South East Europe in scope of four case countries, namely Turkey, Greece, Serbia and Croatia. The study revealed that it is more likely for the South East European countries to become a part of a larger community (political or security based) than to compose a new security community and the European Union is the most significant convergence point among these countries.

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