This paper, presented by Dr Udrea, examines the relationship between national identity and foreign policy in Eastern Europe through the lens of constructivism. While the engagement of European states with their ethnic kin abroad has often been justified as a form of minority protection, considerations of state security that shape the scope of such involvement have received comparatively little attention in the International Relations  scholarship. Focusing on the 2012 dispute between Romania and Serbia over the identity and accommodation of the Vlach minority in Serbia, the analysis shows how kin-state engagement was explicitly justified by security concerns rather than minority protection objectives.

The programme is available here: Southampton 2025 Programme.

First published: 16 June 2025

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