Geographical and Communication Aspects of NATO Public Diplomacy in the Western Balkans

Bačan, Danijel and Lončar, Jelena (2026) Geographical and Communication Aspects of NATO Public Diplomacy in the Western Balkans. MODERN GEOGRÁFIA, 21 (2). pp. 1-29. ISSN 2062-1655

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Abstract

In the 21st century, public diplomacy has gained significant importance and is used by state, private, and mostly civilian sectors. In this paper, NATO’s public diplomacy activities are divided into two parts: activities implemented by the Alliance itself and activities conducted indirectly through the Atlantic Councils, non-governmental organizations established with the aim of promoting and encouraging NATO values. Accordingly, an analysis of the content of the Alliance’s Annual Reports from 2011 to 2023 and seven interviews with the presidents of the Atlantic Councils from the region and Croatia were conducted. The results of the research confirm that NATO uses more “soft power” mechanisms and cooperation with civil society than classic institutional and security channels within the framework of public diplomacy in the Western Balkans. The Atlantic Councils carry out public diplomacy activities that are in line with the NATO Annual Reports. Moreover, in the Western Balkans, there is a uniform spatial distribution of NATO public diplomacy activities by country, regardless of membership in the Alliance.

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