yugoslavias implosion

with the Hague Tribunal. The restoration of nationalism was legitimized
by the 2003 elections; this time the oligarchy appeared to be
internationally legitimized. The process of Serbia’s democratic transition
was halted.
In December 2003, a new minority government was formed and
Koštunica was eventually named prime minister in March 2004. The
new government offered no strategy for breaking away from ethno-nationalism;
on the contrary, ethno-nationalism was again established
as a political ideology dominating society and the state. None
of the key points of Milošević’s national program were disavowed
or abandoned. The Serbian government’s insistence on a partition
of Kosovo reflected a historical victory of ethno-national ideology
within Serbian society, while the government’s attitude toward
Montenegro, Vojvodina, Kosovo, and Republika Srpska nurtured
the idea of pan-Serb unification. Despite the fact that Montenegro
became independent in 2006, Belgrade has continued to hope that this
status proves only temporary; as of 2009, Montenegro and Macedonia
were still not considered foreign countries. 506 The notion of ethnic
boundaries has survived intact in the minds of the Serbian elite.
THE MAFIA-LIKE SECURITY SERVICES
AND THE UNTOUCHABLE ARMY
Milošević corrupted nearly everybody to ensure his survival in
power. Most citizens, for instance, made their living in the black
economy and did not pay taxes—a situation which the state tolerated.
Corruption became particularly prevalent in the state security
apparatus, which was closely involved with organized crime.
The involvement of the mup and, especially, the db (Državna bezbednost
or State Security) in all kinds of criminal activities came to
506 Some Serb nationalists still regard Macedonia as southern Serbia . Their
plans to partition Kosovo include designs to dismember Macedonia .
297
ChApter 4