Regional Security Complex: The Macedonian Context

Abstract

The traditional concepts of security analysis addresses concerns that deal with security at the state level leaving ample room for the concerns regarding security aspects that are not addressed through these lenses appropriately. The challenges that international system of security is facing range in variety from ones that are different in form to the time sequence that they appear in a different space and geographical location. These may include factors that are objective and subjective and as such they characterize the nature of relationships between states. Behavior of the states may at times include an action that conceptualizes within a geographical framework based on attributes that states poses. Given this, Buzan has presented the idea of security complex that is defined as a group of states in which perceptions and key concerns over security are interrelated. In this context the security complex is tied together through geographical, political, historical economic and cultural issues amongst others. Hence regional issues have an important role in the building of security logic for countries individually or in a group and may impact the formulation of policies internally or externally. Based on these considerations in this article we analyze the security issues of Macedonia and how they reflect upon the wider security agenda of the countries in the region in a two-way reflection.