Conclusion: Looking at the Big Picture

Abstract

Why has regional cooperation advanced and taken root in the Balkans, after a period of wars, political instability and economic hardship in the 1990s? This book argues that the reasons include the push from outside and, more interestingly, the Balkans’ his­torical identity as a European periphery. Exclusion has stimulated local elites to mimic the practices of the international clubs of their choice in order to reposition their countries on the post-Cold War mental maps of Europe. Functional and security linkages have rarely provided a sufficient inducement for Balkan actors to coordinate policies and establish institutions, especially in large and diverse groups and coalitions. Across various issue-areas, falling under both ‘low’ and ‘high politics’ rubrics, deepening and widening of coopera­tion reflected external impulses: first and foremost, the EU, but also NATO, the US, and the IFIs. SAP, designed by the EU for the conflict-ridden Western Balkans, deserves much of the credit.