Identity as a Foreign Policy Determiner for Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Popadić Uroš (European Movement in Serbia), popadics.uros@gmail.com

The paper examines the deterioration of regional relations and stability in the Western Balkans, focusing on the foreign policies of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), beginning with the onset of acute tensions in 2021. The study employs a comparative foreign policy analysis within a constructivist theoretical framework, arguing that identity-based concerns and disputes are the primary drivers of foreign policy in both states, often to their mutual detriment. Using interpretive process tracing, we observe how conflicting national identities and national roles, as well as incompatible identity narratives, undermine regional reconciliation and stability. The findings indicate that identity-based competition founded on concerns of incompatible moral superiority and legitimacy claims between Serbs and Bosniaks generates diplomatic and political crises. Since the two nations primarily use their foreign policies to pursue identity-driven interests, reconciliation is significantly hindered. The findings therefore suggest the need for a more pragmatic foreign policy approach based on the de-escalation of tensions and the avoidance of unproductive identity conflicts, which can lead to major crises and further deterioration of relations.

Keywords: foreign policy, Western Balkans, constructivist analysis, regional stability, peacebuilding.