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The Bulgarian Stumbling Block

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Small-State Security in the Balkans

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Abstract

Even a quick geographic and historical perusal of the Balkan area reveals that potential regional cooperation without Bulgaria would be either impossible or inordinately vulnerable. Great powers recognized the importance of Bulgaria in controlling the Balkans and thus it was no coincidence that the Russian empire, Nazi Germany, and then the Soviet Union, have all sought to control or at least dominate this relatively small Balkan state. Bulgaria’s neighbours have been particularly worried by her putative role as a proxy for the Soviet Union in the region. If this is indeed true, then the Soviet Union is able to exercise a virtual veto power on any substantial form of multilateral cooperation or integration in the region. Thus, it has been widely argued in the Balkans that in order for regional cooperation to succeed, somehow Bulgaria had to be weaned away from the Soviet Union. It is, therefore, the purpose of this chapter to attempt to ascertain not only what role Bulgaria plays in the region, but particularly, the motive for this role and the inherent prospects for change in the near future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Toronto, Canada

    Aurel Braun (Associate Professor of International Relations)

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  1. Aurel Braun
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© 1983 Aurel Braun

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Braun, A. (1983). The Bulgarian Stumbling Block. In: Small-State Security in the Balkans. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-06133-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-06133-4_5

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-06135-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-349-06133-4

  • eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)

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