NATO enlargement and Balkans

The post-Cold War era brought about a new international system requiring the reorganization and reconstruction of international institutions. NATO, affected by the process, has attempted to alter its understanding the capabilities, interests and activities. In this thesis, it has been evaluated that the primary elements of the newly built security architecture are NATO?s change and enlargement of strategy. NATO?s rapid attempts at a new security understanding, as well as its dynamic approach to sustaining this process that includes various activities and partnerships, is the primary factor in NATO?s survival, a factor which acts as a multiplier effect on its own success.The aim of this study is to evaluate NATO?s enlargement, designated the top strategic priority of the organization in the post-Cold War era, and to define NATO?s relations with the Balkans where the pioneer applications of NATO?s new strategy have occurred. Within the scope of this basic aim, the followings build up the sub aims of this study: i) an evaluation of NATO?s transformation process, ii) an analysis of the effects of Partnership for Peace program on the Balkans and NATO enlargement, iii) an explanation of the effect of NATO?s activities during Yugoslavia?s disintegration on Balkan countries? attitudes toward Euro-Atlantic institutions.The enlargement of NATO and its interventions in the Balkans are two different faces of the same policy. Out of area concept has gained a new content and legality with Kosovo crisis and it has a great importance in the context of NATO?s transformation from a regional to global organization. The stability environment, which occurred after NATO?s interventions into the Balkans, gave an opportunity to the countries in the region to participate in the Alliance.The hegemonic role in the Balkans was tried to be undertaken by NATO in 1990?s with their community structure in military sense and by EU in 2000?s in political and economic sense. The enlargement policies of NATO and EU specific to the Balkans have been continued in a parallel way. The relative stability environment of the Balkans as a result of NATO?s activities gave the EU an opportunity to develop a policy towards the region. The necessity to accomplish the specific responsibilities to be the member of both organizations has sped up the process of solving the border problems between the countries in the region. These are the examples which indicate that political side of the Alliance has become prominent in the post-cold war era.Key Words1.NATO Enlargement2.Balkans3.Partnership for Peace4.Out of area5.Transformation