From Friends to Strangers and Back - Understanding Slovenian Foreign Policy towards the Western Balkans

At the beginning of the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Slovenia formed an alliance with Croatia at the 14th Congress of the Yugoslav League of Communists in January 1989 to advocate for complete independence. A realization of its small size and the necessity of an open economy paradoxically lead Slovenia to engage with yet another international integration, the EU, even before declaring independence or reaching international recognition. Until the end of the century, Slovenia focused on the Euro-Atlantic integration and built its foreign policy strategy on distancing itself from the war-waging Balkans.

The EU Accession Process: Coming Back to the Western Balkans

During the process of EU accession, Slovenia has clearly indicated that its foreign policy interests towards the Western Balkans have changed. This has manifested in Slovenian endeavors regarding transitional...