Future of the Balkans and U.S. Policy Concerns

Abstract

The United States, its allies, and local leaders have achieved substantial successes in the Balkans since the mid-1990's. The wars in the region have ended, and all of the countries are undertaking political and economic reforms at home and orienting their foreign policies toward Euro-Atlantic institutions. However, difficult challenges remain, including dealing with the impact of Kosovo's independence; fighting organized crime, corruption, and enforcing the rule of law; bringing war criminals to justice; and reforming the economies of the region. The goal of the United States and the international community is to stabilize the Balkans in a way that is self-sustaining and does not require direct intervention by NATO-led forces and international civilian officials. Relatedly, the United States has reduced the costs of its commitments to the region, in part due to competing U.S. and international priorities, such as the war on terrorism, and efforts to stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan, which have placed strains on U.S. resources. SFOR and KFOR, the NATO-led peacekeeping forces in Bosnia and Kosovo, have been reduced over the past decade. In December 2004, SFOR's mission was concluded, and European Union troops took over peacekeeping duties in Bosnia. No U.S. combat troops remain in Bosnia. About 16,000 troops remain in Kosovo as part of KFOR, including 1,600 U.S. soldiers. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, the war on terrorism has been the United States main foreign policy priority, including in the Balkans. Before September 11, Al Qaeda supporters operated from Bosnia and Albania. However, the Administration has said that these countries and others in the region have actively supported the war on terrorism, shutting down terrorist front organizations and seizing their assets.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 22, 2008
Accession Number
ADA483939

Entities

People

  • Steven Woehrel

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Ethnic Groups
  • European Union
  • Foreign Policy
  • Governments
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • Living Standards
  • Minority Groups
  • National Governments
  • Political Systems
  • Public Administration
  • Security
  • Standards
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
  • Strategic Security Studies