Dr. Marina Kostić Šulejić is a Research Fellow at the Institute of International Politics and Economics from Belgrade and Secretary General and Head of the Centre for Non-Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament of the Serbian based think-tank Professional Association of Security Sector (PASS), which is also a member of a European network of non-proliferation and disarmament think-tanks. Marina obtained her PhD in International and European Studies at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade, by defending a dissertation titled “The conceptions of world order in the security policies of the United States of America, the Russian Federation, and the European Union at the beginning of the 21st century.” She completed a two-year specialization in International Politics at the same Faculty, where she also graduated in International Affairs. During her studies, she was awarded two scholarships – by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Marina worked for several state institutions. On two occasions she was a mentor in the framework of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Internship programs(2022 and 2023), organized by PASS. Marina has published a dozen research papers dealing with international institutions and world order, strategic and nuclear arms control and non-proliferation, bilateral and regional relations in the Western Balkans, security issues in Serbia and its policy of military neutrality, as well as the EU enlargement policy. In 2022, Marinapublished a book titled “Strategic stability in a multipolar world”. She has participated in a number of national and international conferences, workshops and educational programs.
The War in Ukraine, current trends in armaments, including nuclear weapons, as well as the suspension and expected expiration of New START, make global, regional and local nuclear arms control and disarmament initiatives and actions urgent. The Republic of Serbia is one of the countries that did not sign the Treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons (TPNW, the Treaty), mostly because of taking into account the position of great powers and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). At the same time, Serbia declared itself as a military neutral country and tries to build its foreign, security and defense policy in similarity with other military neutral countries in Europe, which are mostly parties to the Treaty. Having this in mind, this project will try to answer the question of whether military neutrality constitutes a solid basis for Serbia to reconsider its position regarding the TPNW.