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and the eu because those organizations have the ability to provide a<br />

framework for stability and peace, as they did in Europe after World<br />

War II. Equally, the political and moral revival of the region can<br />

occur only if a bold political vision is coupled with genuine respect<br />

for human and national rights. The sooner this happens, the better<br />

for Serbia and the region.<br />

THE SERBIAN POLITICAL ELITE HAVE NOT RELINQUISHED<br />

THE IDEA OF A GREATER SERBIA; THAT AMBITION<br />

WILL DISAPPEAR ONLY WHEN—WITH THE WEST’S<br />

HELP—A NEW, LIBERAL-MINDED SERBIA EMERGES<br />

The dissolution of both the sfry and the fry was a precondition<br />

for the democratization of new countries and their integration<br />

into the eu. Unfortunately, unlike the elites in other Balkan states,<br />

the Serb political elites have not been eager to embrace the eu option.<br />

This reluctance is not shared by all Serbs; indeed, in polls conducted<br />

in recent years, including 2009, 542 70 percent of the population favored<br />

closer ties with the eu. However, since the assassination of Zoran<br />

Đinđic and the subsequent electoral victory of Koštunica, those who<br />

hold power in Belgrade have shown no genuine interest in European<br />

integration and instead advocate a “neutral” Serbia, somewhere<br />

between the East and West, with close ties to Russia. Indeed, integration<br />

into the eu would put an end to Serbia’s imperial aspirations in<br />

the region, and the nationalists who still hold the reins of power have<br />

not relinquished such hopes. Serbia’s political class remains suspicious<br />

of the modernity that the eu represents, and stays wedded to traditional,<br />

patriarchal, conservative, Christian Orthodox values.<br />

The archaism of the Serbian elite and its inability to shed delusions<br />

about itself and the contemporary world continue to hinder<br />

a decisive political shift that would see Serbia relinquish its strident<br />

nationalism and embrace democratic values in its place. The<br />

542 http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/serbia-enlarge.2af/<br />

327<br />

ChApter 5

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