Critical
points for the security of
Serbia/FR Yugoslavia
By
Miroslav Hadzic,
Ph.d.,
President, Centre for
Civil-Military relations
Belgrade
timotic@eunet.yu
Lecture given at a joint
conference by Institute of Defence, University of Skopje
and
PfP Consortium Working Group on Crisis Management in SEE
Conference
"Ten Years After:
Democratisation and Security Challenges in
SEE"
27-29 October, Ohrid,
Macedonia
I would like to offer you my personal perception of
the critical points of the security of Serbia and the FR
Yugoslavia. That should , I hope, make the image of the
security challenges in SEE more complete. Convinced that
additional explanations would burden this respected
gathering, I am free to offer a brief list of these
points in the form of theses.
The new risk-map of Serbia and the FR Yugoslavia is
drawn up byinter-active action of the two basic groups of
factors:
- first, by the final concentration of the basic
causes of the war collapse of the second Yugoslavia into
its eastern remnant, and
- second, by the arrival of all and final consequences
of the unseccessful escape of the citizens of Serbia from
the exit out of socialism and pro-democratic
modernization.
The fact that the citizens of Serbia, even under these
circumstance, managed to remove Milosevic at the
elections could be, in literary exaltation, raised to the
rank of revolution. Reality shows that they are facing
the same tasks today as in 1990. In addition to that,
they now have to solve them under incomparably worse and
mor difficult conditions.
The first direct security benefints from the change of
the power in Serbia I find in the following points:
- first, the danger of the internal (civil) war in
Serbia has radically decreased;
- second, the prospects for a misuse of the Army of
Yugoslavia in Montenegro have considerably diminished, as
well as for the tribal war in it;
- third, the possibility of the export of crisis from
Serbia to neighbouring states and to the region is
reduced, and
- forth, the reasons for the NATO air-support to the
democratization of Serbia and the Balkans are
cancelled.
At the same time, there have been announced some
collateral benefits, the long term effects of which could
come out to some people as a damage. First of all, the
governments of the region are deprived from the
possibility to legitimaze themselves qasi-democratically
od the anti-Milosevic basis. In that manner, equally, the
road is barred for the war acqusition of the independent
states. Having that in mind, the Montenegrin authorities
will have to offer better reasons for the new reshaping
of the borders.
The departure of Milosevic hase announced to the West
both gains and losses. The West, first, obtained a chance
to join the winners in a general celebration. With that
to conceal the fact that the change in Serbia took place
despite its endevour to topple the authoritarian regime
by bombs and samctions. The Alliance will suffer the
first damage due to the loss of the alibi for its
unsuccessful Yugoslav crisis management. But, now Kosovo
remains to it, on it the Alliance will be able to prove
its devotion to democracy and to the principles of
unchangeability of the borders in Europe. Let me remind,
even in October 1998 Milosevic passed the Kosovo "hot
potato" to the USA and NATO. After that, he defended it
under bombs only up to the point of his staying in power.
The USA, equally, destructively liberated Kosovo only up
to the point of Milosevic's staying in power.
The first cross-section of the newly created situation
permits a presumption according to which Serbia will soon
cease to be the main source of the security risks in the
region. Proportionally, the foreign threats to the
security of Serbia and the FRY decline. By that, of
course, the causes ofthe shortage of security in Serbia
and in the region are not removed, but only their
different constelation announced. That directs to a
different thematization of the security complex in
Serbia, but in the whole region, as well.
Therefore, the focus of analysis should be shifted to
the internal factors of the security in Serbia.For that
purpose one should determine himself toward the latest
events, to which many ascribed a revolutionary character.
The validity of such a judgment is reduced by the fact
that it is a question of an unfinished and controversial
process.
In Serbia, probably, a unique combination of a legal
change of power and the collapse of a facade system took
place. The bearrers of the changes did topple the central
person in power, but they did not occupy the central
power yet. The collapse of the system deprived them of
the instruments by which they would materilize the will
of the citizens andf their objectives.
The tactical ambivalencies of the Democratic Oposition
of Serbia (DOS) caused the formative stage to last to
long. There is an impression that the opposition was
surprised by the speed at which the former system
collapsed. That is, for that variant it was not well
prepared, and therefore has no operative plans for a fast
establishment and consolidation of its power. That
reduced the chanses of DOS to radically dismantle and
expropriate the elites of the former regime. At the same
time, by that grew up the chances of the remnants of
these elites to infiltrate into the emerging system.
Consequently, the danger of the waste of the citizens'
reformist energy grows, by which the December elections
could become more uncertain than it looks like now.
The important reason for the prolonged anarchy and
double government should be sought in the fact that the
new government found itself in the "Montenegrin scisors".
It is obvious that the actual rulers of Montenegro are
relactant to renounce, even temporarily, the numerous
benefits of the acquired sovereignty. At the same time,
the Montenegrin epigons of Milosevic intend, through the
DOS at the federal level, to make for the shortage of
legitimity and power in the mother republic. It should
not be ruled out, therefore, thet the third Yugoslavia
falls apart even before it obtained a chance to be
democratically rearranged. Further more, by the work of
Montenegrin the international "scisors" built in the UN
SC Resolution 1244 open, according to which Kosovo
remains only in Yugoslavia.
To make things worse, the obstruction of the Podgorica
elites might at the end direct Serbia to secession from
the FRY. Though in that variant Montenegro would
formilize its sovereignty, that would disturbe the map of
the region and cause chain reaction consequences. The
obstacles for giving the status of state to Kosovo would
disappear, but the problems of preservation of Macedonia,
B&H and Albania would appear.
The current interregnum, before all, opens a new field
for production of the security risks in Serbia and the
FRY. Such a conclusion is supported by the list of the
problems whose solution is being delayed and aggravated
due to unfinished break with the old regime:
- the renewal of the basic functions of the federal
state until the final agreement between Serbia and
Montenegro about its future appearance
- the engagement of the remaining domestic and the
potential foreign resources for the economic and social
survival of the population
- the beginning of the pacification of the society
- the stoppage of the further criminalization of the
society
- the establishment of the state cooperation with KFOR
and UNMIK in order to improve the security of the
non-albanian populace in Kosovo, but also in order to
prvent unilateral solution of its future status.
It means that the new authorities should first halt
the state and social decay. Afterwards they should start
the recovery out of which could ensue the suppositions
for gradual recovery and development. The key
precondition for such an enterprise is the establishment
of the internal security of the society and the safety of
the citizens.
For that purpose the new authorities should as soon as
possible establish an active control over the Army of
Yugoslavija, police and state security. That, however,
requires, the dismissal of various para-military,
para-police, party and private armed groups. Soo much
more because in this circle, marked with arms and force,
are located the central risks for the security of the
state and society in the stage of consolidation.
The following facts warn that:
- the delayed establishment of the supreme civilian
command prevents the deduction of a new loyalty of the
top military brass up to the final consequences. In other
words, it offers a chance to the generals to personalize
their loyalty again. Thereby the necessary personnel
changes in the army, which would facilitate the proces of
its rearrangement, are blocked. The absence of the
federal government and the paralisis of the parliament
prevent the return of the army into the system and its
subordination to the democratic civilian control.
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