yugoslavias implosion

28
IntroduCtIon
taken subsequently. The nato intervention led up to the ouster of
Milošević and opened up an avenue for transition.
As the second part of Chapter 4 emphasizes, without an understanding
of the events of October 2000, no one can grasp the significance
of the presidential elections in the years thereafter. In the
eyes of most of the world, the removal of Milošević marked the
end of the Yugoslav crisis and signaled a radical shift in the political
complexion of Serbia. In reality, the changeover was the result
of a consensus among Milošević’s close circles and the international
community, a recognition that Milošević had to be removed
because while he remained in power, Serbia would remain unstable
and might collapse economically. The international community
had great expectations of the fry and its potentially stabilizing
role in the region, and quickly moved to end the country’s international
isolation. Milošević’s removal and the coming to power of a
reform-minded prime minister, Zoran Đinđić, gave the transition
in Belgrade a democratic face, but behind the scenes the nationalists
continued to hold sway. Đinđić managed to chart a vision of Serbia
as a member of modern Europe’s democratic, pluralistic fraternity,
but after his assassination in 2003, Serbia was back to square one—
with the rightist nationalist Koštunica in charge of the government
and pursuing Milošević’s policy by other means.
Serbia’s neighbors always doubted that the events of October
2000 marked a break with Milošević’s policy, and the results of elections
in recent years in Serbia have justified their doubts insofar as
nationalist and populist parties have usually ended up as key elements
of governing coalitions. The establishment of an independent
Kosovo in February 2008 may be the last phase in the dissolution
of Yugoslavia, but it is by no means the final nail in the coffin of
Serbian nationalism. Serbian aspirations toward Bosnia, Macedonia,
Montenegro, and Kosovo have not ended. Serbian nationalists
still seek the unity of all Serbs within one country and the unity of