Human Security in the Balkans
Human Security in the Balkans

Summary/Abstract: The article elaborates two approaches to security informing the interventions in the Balkans: a geo-political approach which is defined by the defence of borders and of the state apparatus and a human security approach which is centred on an individual and includes economic, social and military aspects of security. A human security approach was developed during the Bosnian war, largely in response to the failure of the geo-political approach to further the security of individuals and communities. Most notably, it has been championed and practised by the EU. However, the EU has never succeeded in articulating a distinctive human security narrative, which may challenge the dominant geopolitical approach. Arguing that EU’s involvement in the Balkans is tied to the character of the EU itself, the article contends that the future of the EU may well depend on its readiness to apply seriously a cosmopolitan approach to the Balkans. It would not only improve the lot of the people in the region, but also strengthen the European idea.

• Details
• Contents