Fortifying Montenegro: - Navigating Security Challenges in the NATO Era - Vladimir Vučković

A prominent example of this is the “project Balkans and has resisted the EU integration process of the century,” the Bar-Boljare highway project (2014- for Balkan states, perceiving it as a direct threat to 2021), and the construction of 41 kilometers of the its strategic interests Consequently, heightened most challenging priority section of road connecting tensions and geopolitical competition b. [...] The country has found in Montenegro and undermine the credibility of the itself in a subordinate position by relying on those alliance and the EU, Russia has used both hard- and loans for the completion of the remaining highway soft-power tactics Moscow has shifted its Western sections Despite these concerns, Montenegro’s ruling Balkan strategy from a policy-based initiative to elites have welcome. [...] Montenegrin identity in contemporary times closely Montenegro’s history as part of the former Yugoslavia aligns with the emergence of a climate marked by continues to shape its security environment The diverse sociopolitical crises and instabilities, spanning complex web of historical, ethnic, and political from large-scale anti-NATO demonstrations in 2015 to dynamics in the Western Balkans has pr. [...] Serbia’s refusal Also, the glorification of war criminals and historical to acknowledge the results of the Montenegrin revisionism have hindered the reconciliation process referendum and the intensified campaign of and exacerbated ethnic tensions These factors have interference in Montenegro’s internal affairs by Serbian complicated the security situation in Montenegro, President Aleksandar Vučić. [...] The influence of organized crime groups on facets of society such as politics and the economy poses a threat to the rule of law and governance Corruption within state institutions and the judiciary further compounds these challenges, undermining the effectiveness of security and law enforcement efforts These criminal networks pose a significant security threat to Montenegro, as they can undermine.