STRATEGIC PRAGMATICITY AS A FACTOR IN ACHIEVING SERBIA’S NATIONAL INTERESTS

Abstract

This paper analyzes the concept of strategic pragmatism as a potential framework for the realization of Serbia’s national interests. Through a geopolitical, historical and institutional approach, it is shown that, although Serbia does not have a formally defined grand strategy in the form of a single document, it implements a functional and long-term sustainable strategy that satisfies all the key elements of that concept. Continuity in the formulation of national interests, as well as the application of strategies of containment and risk mitigation, delay and realpolitik maneuvering, demonstrate a deeply rooted political culture of adaptation to circumstances. The paper particularly emphasizes the importance of a multi-vector foreign policy and the “four-pillar” strategy as instruments for preserving geopolitical neutrality and increasing international flexibility. Strategic pragmatism, viewed through the prism of the “hedging” concept, is a key mechanism by which Serbia seeks to avoid hard choices between opposing global centers of power, while protecting vital interests such as sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability in the region. The paper shows that this approach is not only a product of historical consequences, but also a rational response of a small state to contemporary challenges in international relations. The paper confirms the hypothesis that strategic pragmatism is not a temporary solution, but a long-term doctrine appropriate to the geopolitical reality of Serbia and a sustainable pattern of action in the global system of unequal power.