Authors

Discussion

The study of kin-state politics in Eastern Europe has focused on the relations between four actors: the kin-minority group, its home-state and kin-state, and the relevant international organisations. Dominated by a quadratic nexus approach, the scholarship has overlooked the increased role that other actors have played to amplify or limit kin-state activism in the last two decades. In the Western Balkans, the United States of America, China, Russia and Turkey have all been actively engaged in the last decade. However, in pursuit of national interests, their actions have been eroding the fragile peace and stability of the region.

This paper focuses on the impact of the US Balkans policy of the last two administrations in Washington on kin-state engagement in the Western Balkans. I argue that the US Balkans policy has had strong impact on kin-state politics in the region. It enhanced the kin-state engagement of Serbia, Croatia and Albania and diminished the role of international organisations leading to an erosion of international principles, norms and practices and increased instability in the region.