THE LEGAL STATUS OF SUCCESSOR STATES OF THE FORMER SOCIALIST FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA (SFRY) IN CONTEMPORARY NUCLEAR GEOPOLITICS

Апстракт

The objective of this research paper is to analyze the legal status of successor states of the former Socialist Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) – namely, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and
Slovenia – as current non-nuclear-weapons states (NNWSs) in contemporary nuclear geopolitics. In that respect, the
research approach implemented includes some comparative remarks on Yugoslavia’s nuclear program through
Marshal Josip Broz Tito’s legacy, its international relations and nuclear cooperation with the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.)
and the United States (U.S.) before its dissolution, as well as legal commentaries on the successor states’ nuclear
related legislation and policy. With the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) built in 1981 as a joint venture by Slovenia
and Croatia which were both part of Yugoslavia at the time, results derived from this research paper imply that the
successor states should reinforce their position in global nuclear affairs through both national and international
legislation addressing nuclear weapons, in addition to resolving the question of using nuclear energy within their
respective domestic borders. By such virtue, the value of this research paper lies in the successor states learning from
their Yugoslav past for the purposes of ensuring and strengthening national security as current NNWSs in times of
nuclear tensions.