TRANSFORMATION OF NEUTRALITY IN CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Abstract

The paper analyzes the transformation of neutrality in contemporary international relations with the aim of re-examining its traditional understanding as a fixed legal status and its theoretical reconceptualization as a process-based strategic construct manifested through foreign policy practice. Starting from the assumption that the erosion of the border between war and peace, the growth of hybrid threats and increased competition between great powers have fundamentally changed the security environment, the research seeks to explain how states adapt neutrality as a process of strategic positioning in order to preserve security, sovereignty and strategic space for maneuver. The methodological approach is based on qualitative analysis that combines conceptual analysis of theoretical approaches to neutrality, comparative reasoning and selected case studies of European and global examples. Special attention is paid to a comparative consideration of different models of neutrality, including examples of adaptation within formally defined legal neutrality, functional and active manifestations of process-based neutrality, and examples of its abandonment in conditions of increasing perceived threats. The research results show that contemporary neutrality no longer functions as a passive absence of positioning, but as a continuous process of strategic adaptation, that combines selective inclusion in international institutions, risk management and the preservation of political flexibility. The analysis indicates that the transformation of neutrality is shaped by three interrelated factors: structural changes in the international system after the Cold War, geopolitical shocks and the growing influence of internal political and social dynamics on foreign policy decisions. It is concluded that neutrality does not disappear as a relevant concept, but rather undergoes a process of strategic reconceptualization in the direction of functional and active manifestations of process-based neutrality. Based on the findings, the paper recommends that neutrality be viewed in scientific and political analyses as an instrument of uncertainty management and strategic flexibility of small and medium-sized states in a multipolar system. Additionally, the results point to the need to develop analytical frameworks that bridge legal, security, and strategic approaches, in order to better understand the behavior of states that seek to avoid exclusive security choices. The paper contributes to broader debates in the field of international relations and security studies by conceptualizing neutrality as a process of strategic adaptation in conditions of systemic uncertainty.