Neutrality vs. Collective Security – Economic Dimension – A View from Croatia
Neutrality vs. Collective Security – Economic Dimension – A View from Croatia

Author(s): Sandro Knezović
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: ISAC - Centar za međunarodne i bezbednosne poslove
Keywords: neutrality; security; Croatia
Summary/Abstract: Dilemmas about appropriate frameworks for national security of Croatia were part of a very important debate from the early 90s, for obvious reasons. In general, when one speaks about the collective security in Croatia, he/she speaks about NATO membership. The accession to NATO was definitely one of two main foreign policy goals of Croatia in past 20 years. With very complicated recent history and security environment, it was the issue that caused very important debates between the proponents of the opposed opinions. The question that was on the table was how is it possible for the small state with very limited strategic and economic capacities to insure the long lasting security and capability to find its place within international arena in a globalized world. There were two options – either to join the existing framework of collective security which is NATO, or to do something else. A very important issue in these debates was identity, due to strong feeling of belonging to the West, especially in the early and late 1990s. Neutrality as such was never a part of serious debate in Croatia, given the fact that there was certain amount of awareness that it requires certain capacities from the country in order to be able to claim neutrality. Also, the debates were conducted in, I would dare to say, very inappropriate way, since participants who were against the accession to NATO, were not offering any alternatives, while those who favoured joining NATO were not providing enough reliable evidence or information. Obviously, there was a significant lack of reliable sources of information and there was a need for a thoroughly research on the subject.

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