Views of National Security in Balkan and Russia

Maintaining the existence and interests of a nation state and the safety of its citizens through different means (e.g., economic, military, political, cultural, and diplomatic) is what national security means (Lasso and Gonzalez 1993). National security in the Balkans and Russia has been often jeopardized for a variety of reasons, both internal and external to the region. At first glance, there would appear to be little in the way of shared national security concerns among Greece, Serbia, Slovenia, and Russia, the countries in which the data for this chapter were gathered, and which spread over a great part of Europe and Asia. These four states differ on a number of dimensions (e.g., size, economy, history, culture); on the other hand, struggles over independence and borders have made security an enduring issue in the region.