Putin?s war in Ukraine might result in a shift from the worn-out refrain of
?Europeanization? towards a more realist approach to EU enlargement and its
geostrategic stakes. Russia has turned into a significant threat due to its
weakness rather than its power. The author considers the ?power of weakness?
a crucial concept in the ongoing aggression and its geostrategic
consequences. Paradoxically, weakness might be an actual source of power in
these uncertain times of global transformation. is that an opportunity for
the Western Balkans (WB)? Analyzing the troublesome Western Balkans? EU
integration based on their economic, demographic, and other (limited)
features while relying on the decolonization approach, the author finds that
their integration constitutes an emergency precisely due to their weak
points. Russia and China seek for weakening states across the globe, minor
players where anti-Western feelings are easy to instrumentalize. The WB
candidates deserve to be better integrated into the list of European
priorities. A lack of EU strategy in the WB might indicate the absence of
sound perspectives for the Union?s broader international role. The paper
explores Bertrand Badie?s decolonization approach, applying it to the
Western Balkans, Hungary?s practice regarding the ?power of the weak?, and
Turkey, aiming to illustrate that weakness should not be perceived solely as
the opposite of power, but as a suspicious international element since the
Cold War onwards.