Introduction*
In the 1990s, during the unipolar era of international politics, any development in any part of the world could directly or indirectly become a matter of concern for the American foreign policy. In this respect, the Westernization of political-economic systems and diplomatic orientation of the Balkan countries1 was of great importance to Washington.2 After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Balkan countries that had long remained under the Soviet shadow except Greece and Türkiye turned their attention to the West and expressed their desire to join the model offered by the European Union (EU). Thus, the 1990s mark the beginning of the Balkan countries’ efforts toward Westernization in line with their aspirations for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and EU membership.
The EU introduced the term “Western Balkans” at the Vienna European Council in 1998 to distinguish a group of states from other Balkan and South-Eastern European countries that had progressed more rapidly toward EU membership, as well as from Greece, an EU member since 1981. While Croatia was initially included in this category, it was removed following its accession to the EU in 2013. The term now refers to six countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.3 Although the region is undergoing a multifaceted reform process as part of the EU integration, serious challenges exist including corruption, organized crime, issues of transitional justice, socio-economic development problems, democratic deficits and ethnic tensions.4 In fact, there are still unresolved matters within the region in the political, economic, social and legal spheres, which open the door for a growing impact of the non-Western actors.
