Zeynep Arkan – författare

This book critically examines the process of statebuilding by the EU, focusing on its attempts to build Member States in the Western Balkan region.

This book analyses the European Union''s policies towards, and the impact they have, upon the states of the Western Balkans, and assesses how these affect the nature of EU foreign policy. To this end, it focuses on the tools and mechanisms that the EU employs in its enlargement policy and examines the new instruments of direct intervention (in Bosnia and Kosovo), political coercion (in the case of Croatia and Serbia in relation to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), and stricter conditionality in the Western Balkan countries.

The book discusses the key aim of this special form of statebuilding, which is to establish functional liberal-democratic states in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia in order for them to join the EU and to cope with the responsibilities and pressures of membership in the future. However, the authors argue that while the EU sees itself as an international actor that promotes and protects liberal-democratic values, norms and principles, its experiences in the Western Balkans demonstrate how the EU´s actions in the region have undermined the basic principles of democratic decision-making (such as the European support for impositions in Bosnia) and international law (Kosovo), and have consequently contributed to new tensions (see police reform in Bosnia, and the tensions between Kosovo and Serbia) and dependencies.

This book will be of much interest to students of statebuilding, EU politics, global governance and IR/Security Studies in general.

This book critically examines the process of statebuilding by the EU, focusing on its attempts to build Member States in the Western Balkan region.

This book analyses the European Union''s policies towards, and the impact they have, upon the states of the Western Balkans, and assesses how these affect the nature of EU foreign policy. To this end, it focuses on the tools and mechanisms that the EU employs in its enlargement policy and examines the new instruments of direct intervention (in Bosnia and Kosovo), political coercion (in the case of Croatia and Serbia in relation to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), and stricter conditionality in the Western Balkan countries.

The book discusses the key aim of this special form of statebuilding, which is to establish functional liberal-democratic states in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia in order for them to join the EU and to cope with the responsibilities and pressures of membership in the future. However, the authors argue that while the EU sees itself as an international actor that promotes and protects liberal-democratic values, norms and principles, its experiences in the Western Balkans demonstrate how the EU´s actions in the region have undermined the basic principles of democratic decision-making (such as the European support for impositions in Bosnia) and international law (Kosovo), and have consequently contributed to new tensions (see police reform in Bosnia, and the tensions between Kosovo and Serbia) and dependencies.

This book will be of much interest to students of statebuilding, EU politics, global governance and IR/Security Studies in general.

Hybrid threats have been defined in various ways by different security actors, with their scope continuously expanding to encompass emerging insecurities within the evolving security environment. As an umbrella term encompassing a wide spectrum of threats with complex and multidimensional features, the notion of hybrid threats remains inherently vague and amorphous. This lack of clarity presents significant challenges for policymakers, who must constantly identify potential dangers, anticipate risks, and formulate effective responses to safeguard their polities and populations. Consequently, a persistent sense of insecurity has become a defining characteristic of the current European security landscape.

This ‘new normal’ of European security is characterised by a series of ‘(un)known unknowns’ that fall under the elusive concept of hybrid threats. However, rather than accepting this evolving security paradigm at face value, this study calls for a critical examination of its underlying assumptions, core concepts, and broader political implications. It argues that the hybrid threat narrative demands a re-evaluation of what security means in contemporary Europe and how it is operationalised.

Moreover, the study underscores the expansive nature of the hybrid threat framework, which has the potential to include virtually any domain – ranging from education and technology to research and public infrastructure – thereby contributing to the securitisation of all aspects of social and political life. This expansive and ambiguous framing raises important questions about the limits of security and allocation of resources, carrying considerable implications for democratic governance in Europe.

Dr Zeynep Arkan is an Associate Professor of International Relations at Hacettepe University (Ankara) and a Visiting Fellow at the Österreichisches Institut für Internationale Politik (Vienna). She holds a BSc from Middle East Technical University (Ankara), an MA from Exeter University (Exeter), and a PhD from the University of Kent (Canterbury).