Multi-Actor Deterrence of Small States: The Case of the Republic of Serbia
Multi-Actor Deterrence of Small States: The Case of the Republic of Serbia

Summary/Abstract: The contemporary security context of small states requires a reexamination of classical concepts of deterrence, based on the symmetry of military capabilities and bilateral relations. The paper analyzes multi-actor deterrence as an expanded analytical framework for understanding how small, militarily neutral states manage security risks amid geopolitical uncertainty and hybrid threats. The paper hypothesizes that deterrence in hybrid environments can no longer be understood as a state-centered mechanism, but as a multi-actor system shaped by state, non-state, and corporate actors in multiple domains. The aim of the paper is to develop an analytical framework of multi-actor deterrence applicable to small states. Through a case study of the Republic of Serbia, the paper shows that the deterrent effect does not primarily arise from the threat of force, but from the potential for networking among different actors and multi-domain synergy, which increases the costs and uncertainty of potential aggression. The paper also identifies key challenges to implementing this model, including institutional fragmentation, capacity asymmetry, and external pressures, highlighting the importance of continued management of multi-actor deterrence mechanisms to preserve the strategic autonomy of small states.

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