At the 2014 Wales Summit, the UK country spearheaded the formation of a multi-national military partnership – the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). The announcement elicited only a moderate degree of attention and reaction at the time. But more than a decade later, it has proven to be a remarkable and surprising success in keeping the peace in Northern Europe. An often overlooked but strategically vital part of Europe – the Western Balkans – now stands at a critical turning-point. Decades of peacebuilding risk being undermined by secessionism and increasingly militant local nationalisms, both emboldened by Russian interference. Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Albania are in NATO – but as long as Bosnia and Kosovo remain outside of the Alliance, they will remain deeply vulnerable to external interference. In the absence of their membership in the trans-Atlantic community, these two countries have remained the prime target of Serbian and Russian meddling in recent years. This could cascade into greater instability, and even warfare, in the Balkans. This situation can be changed by thinking outside the box.
BJEF – A Joint Expeditionary Force for the Balkans | Royal United Services Institute
