Thinking the Balkans out of the Box moves away from narrow and conventional, often state-centred, understandings of European integration and regional cooperation in relation to South East Europe.

Based on case studies, this book presents both common and specific features of integration and region-building within the framework of early, old, new and comparative regionalism approaches, which the author sees as complementary rather than mutually exclusive.

Using a longterm timeline, the author contextualises these four waves in the postSecond World War era, the Cold War period, the postCold War era, and our current hypertext or multiplex world order respectively. In the latter, integration and regionalisation become significantly more intertwined, heterogeneous, open, inclusive, comprehensive and multidimensional.