ABSTRACT
This chapter aims at unpacking the complex security and stability setting of North Macedonia, caught between its violent and turbulent past and an uncertain future. Topics include the country’s prospects for European integration and the foreign, oftentimes malign, influence of illiberal state actors such as Russia and China, which recently became more appealing to the average Macedonian citizen. This work takes the ‘mechanistic approach’ to understanding hybrid peace, deconstructing the main components of the mechanisms through which stability and security are preserved. These mechanisms and processes are presented in two detailed examples of threats to peace and stability in the country – the ‘Kumanovo Incidents’ from 2015 and ‘Bloody Thursday’ from 2017. The chapter further elaborates on regional and country-specific polling data on stability, security, the economy, COVID-19, and regional economic integration. The personal security situation and the general perception of security and safe living in the region are also important. The chapter is concluded with a summary of key takeaways and proposed avenues for further research.
