Quo vadis Belgrad? Serbien zwischen europäischer Integration und nationalistischer Isolation
Quo vadis Belgrade? Serbia between European Integration and Nationalist Isolation

Summary/Abstract: 2006 has been a very decisive year for Serbia. At the beginning of May, the EU suspended the negotiations about a Stabilization and Association Agreement due to Belgrade’s failure to hand over war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague. Only a few weeks later, Serbia was dealt another blow when Montenegro’s citizens decided to leave the State Union with Belgrade. In addition to that, Prishtina has been steadily gearing up for independence, with international pressure rising on Belgrade to come to terms with the ultimate loss of Kosovo. In defiance of these developments, however, the country’s newly adopted constitution refers to Kosovo as an integral part of Serbia. Threatened by a nationalist backlash in the case of Kosovo’s independence, the country has indeed reached the most important political crossroads since the fall of the Milosevic-regime six years ago. In light of the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections, it is now up to Serbia’s democratic forces and her people to decide whether Belgrade will continue on the path to Euro-Atlantic integration or walk in the other direction, opting for nationalist isolation and a pariah status within an integrating Europe.

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