Critical readings of Turkey’s foreign policy

Abstract

connectedness of military relations with the political, economic, societal, and other layers of regional and wider security regimes that intersect in this region’ (page 129) not being given the attention they deserve. This section raises questions about the future of regional relations, whose stability and improvement are a must for the stability of the region. In the last section of the volume, the authors take on the international level, discussing approaches to delivering and maintaining peace and security in the Western Balkans by two main actors involved since the 1990s, that is EU and US, as well as those powers that have for the past decade and a half or so become active players in the region, this being Russia, China, Gulf States, Turkey, and Iran. The authors discuss not only the manner of the Western engagement herein, but they additionally show how in recent years, non-Western actors have come to challenge the notion of the Western Balkans being the ‘Western powers’ playground’, indicating the democracy-wise often corrosive influence of the latter actors. This section is brought to a close with a chapter, and I fully agree with the authors on the conclusions herein, showing that the status quo in the Western Balkans is here to stay, whereby the said scenario is deemed as ‘the most probable’ (page 284), indicating that most likely no significant changes in the region will happen in the next several years. Although perhaps not a very happy ending to the volume, it is a very realistic one. I am positive that this volume will be welcomed by both students and lecturers, as well as policy practitioners and makers interested in acquiring security-related information on the Western Balkans. The book is, therefore, a valuable contribution to the study of the given region, highlighting not only the main security challenges that exist herein but also those matters that require further academic treatment.