The meaning of independence day for the new Balkan states

Abstract

The article discusses the question of how Independence Day is celebrated in the new Balkan states, what semantic content these countries invest in it and how events of the past are reflected in the process of creating modern state and national traditions. The new states in the Balkans are rebuilding both internal relations within the country and the system of external relations. The celebration of Independence Day becomes a link between the promises of political leaders and the expectations and reactions of the citizens of a particular state to the annual evaluation of their independent existence. At the regional and international level, this celebration is a kind of demonstration of the validity of the chosen path of development. However, there are regions in the Balkans whose independence is controversial from the viewpoint of international law. Nevertheless, this does not prevent them from staging magnificent celebrations and receiving salutations from all over the world. This holiday, which should seemingly play a consolidating role, can in fact cause serious disagreements that call into question the country’s independence. Thus, even through legal proceedings, it is not possible to work out a clear criterion for celebrating this day.

Keywords

• balkans
• independence day
• serbia
• croatia
• bosnia and herzegovina
• republika srpska
• slovenia
• montenegro
• macedonia