PEACE, SOVEREIGNTY AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

INSTRUCTOR: Assistant Professor Tonia Zervaki

Course Description

This course examines the dialectical relationship between the traditional concept of state sovereignty and the institution of international organization and its implications for regional and international peace and security, in a European region that has experienced grave conflicts and undergone significant political and territorial transformations during and after the end of the Cold War. Political fragmentation, armed conflict and the reconfiguration of established sovereignties in Southeastern Europe are considered as the main causes of instability in the region as well as sources of insecurity for other parts of the European continent. Shifts in the broader geopolitical environment combined with the impact of recent crises (economic and migration crises, the war in Ukraine etc) and the pending sovereignty issues still hinder the idea of sustainable peace in the area.

The complexity of security challenges in the region has triggered a series of political and operational initiatives led by a web of international organizations. The course focuses on the role of the United Nations and other regional institutions (Council of Europe, European Union, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, NATO) in restoring and maintaining international peace and the implications for state sovereignty in Southeastern Europe. The seminars offer a comprehensive examination of the state sovereignty-international organization nexus within the framework of preventive diplomacy, peace-making, peace enforcement, peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts in the region in an era of ‘intersecting multilateralisms’.