THE INCREASING INFLUENCE OF EMERGING POWERS IN THE WESTERN BALKANS: A BRIEF ANALYSIS

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Robert Dopchie

Abstract

Using four emerging powers as a case study (China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey), this paper examined how the current redistribution of power in the contemporary world has affected the Western Balkan region. The objective was to shed light on the ability of the emerging powers to make use of soft power to increase their influence. This paper demonstrated that the growing presence in the Western Balkan region of these emerging powers occurred to the detriment of traditional actors in the region, in particular to the European Union and the United States. While Russia favored political instability in the region to increase its grip, China proposed a new economic project to reach the European market and expand its own norms. As far as Saudi Arabia and Turkey were concerned, both states privileged the use of religious soft power in Muslim-majority countries. The paper concluded that a rapid European response is required today if the EU wants to remain the most influential actor in the Western Balkans.        

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How to Cite
Dopchie, Robert. 2022. “THE INCREASING INFLUENCE OF EMERGING POWERS IN THE WESTERN BALKANS: A BRIEF ANALYSIS”. Journal of Liberty and International Affairs 8 (2):307-20. https://doi.org/10.47305/JLIA2282307d .
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Author Biography

Robert Dopchie, University of Liege - Liege, Belgium

Robert Dopchie is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Political Sciences, majoring in International Relations, at the University of Liège (Belgium). His fields of research are international mediation, immigration, and international relations of the EU. He is currently aiming to obtain a PhD position in order to keep on researching these topics.