How Serbia’s National Identity Shapes Its International Positioning Amidst the War in Ukraine: Hollow Neutrality as a Poor Imitation of Yugoslavia’s Non-Alignment

Serbia is one of the few European countries that did not impose sanctions on the Russian Federation following the invasion of Ukraine. The primary objective of my paper is to explore and explain this distinct position through a substantial analysis of the roots and logic underpinning Serbia’s foreign policy. By adopting a critical social constructivist approach, this study seeks to understand the way in which national identity shapes Serbia’s unique foreign policy decisions - not only in relation to Russia and Ukraine but also in terms of its broader international orientation. The basic claim of the article is that Serbia’s international positioning should be assessed through two key factors: first, the notion of ‘Serbian exceptionalism,’ rooted in the country’s self-perception of its unique historical and geopolitical role; and second, its attempt to emulate Yugoslavia's non-aligned stance during the Cold War, aiming to preserve strategic autonomy amidst global power dynamics.