Tito i Balkanski pakt
Tito and the Balkan Pact

Bridging the road to neutrality

Author(s): Milan Terzić
Subject(s): Diplomatic history, Political history, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Cold-War History
Published by: Institut za noviju istoriju Srbije
Summary/Abstract: The Balkan Pact helped Tito bridge his relations with the West at the local level. It enabled him to soften and cushion Western requests for integrating into NATO defence structures at the global level. Thus, he has shown the West that after the conflict with Stalin he was moving in their direction, but on the internal plan he did not give up communism and retained it in a „softer” form, pursuing policy at two levels. With the Balkan Pact Tito also became and remained acceptable to the West, while managing to resist the requests to join another pact (NATO). Entering one pact (the Balkan Pact) did not imply joining another one (NATO). This was made possible by the Soviet initiative for normalization of relations initiated at this time. It is at this time that he laid groundwork for his foreign-policy position and focused on non-alignment, leaning neither to one nor to the other side.

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