Relationship dossier
Croatia
United States
Relationship assessment
Close partnership built around NATO, defense cooperation, and Croatia’s Euro-Atlantic integration
Croatia toward United States
+75Croatia has supported US security priorities through participation in NATO and US-led international missions, including deployments in Afghanistan. Its NATO membership and defense cooperation provide durable channels for working with the United States.
United States toward Croatia
+75The United States supported Croatia’s integration into NATO and the European Union and has provided defense assistance and equipment. It also admitted Croatian citizens to the US Visa Waiver Program, effective in 2021.
Overall relationship
+75The relationship has a durable cooperative foundation in NATO membership and US support for Croatia’s Euro-Atlantic integration. Croatian contributions to allied missions and bilateral defense cooperation reinforce the partnership. No major sustained bilateral confrontation is known to outweigh these ties.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Croatia and the United States maintain a close security partnership, reinforced by NATO membership, bilateral defense cooperation, and US support for Croatia’s Euro-Atlantic integration. Croatia has contributed to NATO and US-led missions, while the United States has supported Croatian defense capabilities and eased travel requirements for Croatian citizens. The relationship is substantially cooperative, with no major bilateral dispute shaping its overall character.
Key developments
Croatia joined NATO, establishing a shared alliance framework with the United States.
Croatia became eligible for the US Visa Waiver Program.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and implementation of current bilateral defense cooperation are not fully clear.
- The extent of cooperation beyond security and Euro-Atlantic policy is uncertain.