A Strategic Study of Serbia’s East-West Strategic Balance: West or East?

Abstract

Since ancient times, the Balkan Peninsula has been a key crossroads between Europe and Asia. Its strategic location at the junction of the Asia-Europe plate has made it a significant area of interest for geopolitical analysts. Serbia, situated at the center of the Balkan Peninsula, has a particularly important role to play in the Eurasian continent. Due to its unique geographical position, Serbia has been a focal point of contention between Eastern and Western civilizations since ancient times, resulting in a highly unstable situation. This has made Serbia acutely aware of the need for international cooperation in order to achieve economic and national growth. In the Western camp, Serbia is perceived as an “orientalized anomaly”; in the East, it is rarely acknowledged due to its relatively ordinary international status. Consequently, the choices of “eastward” and “westward” are of significant importance in the context of Serbia’s national strategy. Following the advent of the 21 st century, China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative presented Serbia with an opportunity to enhance its comprehensive national power. This led to Serbia’s decision to pursue cooperation with China, a move that was influenced by Serbia’s domestic nationalism, which, given its identity as a “European country”, advocated active cooperation with Europe. In this context, Serbian nationalism, given its identity as a “European country”, advocates active cooperation with Europe. Therefore, the principal objective of this paper is to analyze the manner in which the Belt and Road Initiative and Serbia’s “eastward” and “westward” strategies are being promoted in Serbia from the perspective of public opinion.