Central-European intra-Slavic diplomacy : a comparative approach

english

2011

volume 4, issue 1

Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

Article analyses the Slavic component in the foreign policy of the four Central European Slavic (CES) countries. The central thesis is that the Slavic component is not (an important) part of those countriesć foreign policy; however it is relevant within cultural affairs. The author argues that the CES countries instrumentalise their foreign policy to accomplish their interests within the geographically and culturally close nations. This presumption is verified by the comparativeforeign- policy methodology,2 being applied to the structure of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Diplomatic Missions of CES countries. The article reaches two main conclusions; the analysis confirms that Slavism is relevant within cultural affairs only, while the foreign policy of all countries is determined by other variables. The derivation of this hypothesis shows that, because CES countries omit their cultural similarities and therefore are not an incentive for better collaboration in their foreign policy, they lose many opportunities and challenges within the EU, as this weakens their negotiating position.

20.12.2023