New Article by Nikolaos Tzifakis and Eleni Vasdoka on Serbia’s Strategic Hedging in the Western Balkans

New Article by Nikolaos Tzifakis and Eleni Vasdoka on Serbia’s Strategic Hedging in the Western Balkans

Prof. Nikolaos Tzifakis (Coordinator, GEO-POWER-EU & Professor, University of the Peloponnese) and Eleni Vasdoka (Research Fellow, University of the Peloponnese) have co-authored a timely and insightful article titled “Great Powers and Gatekeepers in the Western Balkans: Serbia’s Strategic Hedging,” published in Studia Europejskie – Studies in European Affairs (1/2025).

The article explores how Serbia has adopted a strategy of strategic hedging amidst intensifying competition between the EU, U.S., Russia, and China. The authors analyse how the leadership in Belgrade has successfully balanced external influences while consolidating domestic power through networks of patronage and elite co-optation. Serbia’s manoeuvring, they argue, reflects both regional agency and broader structural dynamics shaping the Western Balkans.

As great-power rivalries deepen, the authors question whether Serbia’s current posture remains viable or if rising geopolitical pressure may force a recalibration of its strategic alignments.

🔗 Read the full article in Studia Europejskie – Studies in European Affairs. 

Featured image: Shutterstock/Fotost52 via B92.net (screenshot for editorial use)