title: NATO in the Balkans: Consequences and Perspectives
abstract: Despite the fact that the Balkan states, excluding Greece and Turkey, were not members of NATO during the Cold War period, this military alliance has maintained a high level of interest in the Balkan region.The Balkans represents a contact zone between Europe and the Middle East, and, in this context, it is seen as a bridge connecting a broad strategic line from the Baltic in the North to Anatolia in the South in this post-Cold War unipolar system.With a more aggressive approach and a number of 