Mirjana Milenković
REGIONAL SECURITY SUBCOMPLEX - THE WESTERN BALKANS CASE
The creators of the Theory of the Regional Security Complex considered that the Balkans, due to linguistic and cultural similarities, common history, and geographical connections, represent a special security subcomplex within the European Regional Security Complex. The events that caused changes within the Balkans, that influenced changes in the structure of patterns of friendship or animosity, the causes that led to them, and ultimately, the security integration processes that questionably influenced the evolution of the Balkan subcomplex, made things look different today. Two key issues that create its security structure are the issue of ensuring regional security and stability after the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo and Metohija and the future internal organization of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As threats travel easier over shorter distances, the starting point is the hypothesis that security interdependence is more pronounced among the countries of the Western Balkans, which is why the Western Balkans, and not the Balkans, can be considered a security subcomplex.