Driven by stability and security concerns stemming from the recent past, the
European Union (EU) has decided to include the Western Balkans (WB) in its
enlargement process. in the meantime, the United States of America (USA),
Russia, and Turkey have become engaged in promoting the need for balance of
power in the region, although their interests have been mutually
conflicting. in fact, the USA has supported the policies of the EU towards
the WB to consolidate Euro-Atlantic integration and to maintain its
authority as a superpower on the eastern side of the Atlantic. Another major
power, Russia, has sought to counterbalance both the EU and the USA in the
region by leveraging its close relations with Serbia. On the other hand, a
neighboring country in the region, Turkey, has adopted the policy of soft
power and good neighborly policy towards the WB to strengthen relations with
old partners, based on perception of shared culture, heritage and history.
This article analyzes the diverging national interests of the USA, Russia,
and Turkey in the context of the Normative Power Europe approach pertaining
to the WB.