The data collected and analyzed as part of this research indicate that with an index of 2,61 on a scale of 1 to 5, the rate of realization of Serbia's national interests is slightly higher than 40 percent. Almost all internationally recognized methodologies and frameworks for measuring the success of achieving goals (start from the fact that the achievement of 60-80 percent of the set goals is a sign of success, while a percentage below 50 percent of success indicates inadequate implementation of goals
In the famous book Man's search for meaning, Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, describes how prisoners in Nazi camps during of the Second World War differed in behavior and spiritual and mental strength depending on whether they had goals which they imagined they would achieve after regaining freedom. According to his observations, those who had clearly defined goals, such as reuniting with their family or achieving something greater after the war, had a better chance of survival. On the other hand, prisoners without goals and meaning were more prone to spiritual and physical collapse.
This story is important because it indicates that human strength and resilience is often based on the plans and goals that people strive to achieve. Just as this mechanism works for individuals, we believe it also works for larger entities, such as families, societies, and states. The question we ask in this text is about what the goals are Republic of Serbia set before itself and to what extent the executive power realizes them.
TWO KEY PARAMETERS
When analyzing the last decade of the politics of the Republic of Serbia, one of the most obvious problems is the lack of a hierarchy of clearly defined goals and national interests. On the internal level, government reports often do not contain concrete guidelines and set goals, which leaves room for inconsistency in implementation and the inability to call for accountability.
The situation is no different when it comes to foreign policy, because Serbia does not have a comprehensive one strategy which clearly defines what Serbia's interests are in the international arena. The only document that indicates the national interests of Serbia is the National Security Strategy from 2019. This document lists the following as key national interests: preservation of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity; preservation of internal stability and security; the protection of the Serbian people, regardless of where they live, as well as the preservation of the identity of national minorities; preservation of peace and stability in the region and the world; European integration and EU membership; economic development and general prosperity, as well as protection of the environment and resources of the Republic of Serbia.
The goal of this text is not to debate with the creators of the Strategy whether this is an appropriate list of national interests, but to measure the degree of realization of the defined national interests. For the purposes of the project "National interests of the Republic of Serbia: From dispute to legitimization", which was financially supported by the Scientific Fund of the Republic of Serbia through the IDEA program, we developed a matrix for measuring the realization of the proclaimed national interests of the Republic of Serbia, as determined in the National Security Strategy.
The methodology for measuring the achievement of national interests is based on two key parameters. The first includes the analysis of data collected through conducted research, based on which estimates of the fulfillment of national interests were formulated. The second parameter includes the ratings of experts in the field of foreign policy, such as university professors and experts. By combining these two approaches, an index of realization of national interests was created (on a scale of 1 to 5), and the final result shows the cumulative percentage in which Serbia's national interests were realized. The entire study is available in the latest issue of the scientific journal International Problems/International problems.
WISHES AND REALITY
The analysis of the realization of the national interests of the Republic of Serbia, carried out according to the defined methodology, indicates a low degree of fulfillment and significant room for improvement in almost all key areas. Preservation of internal stability and security was evaluated with 2,37, primarily due to unsatisfactory results in the areas of protection of human and minority rights, non-compliance with the principles of the rule of law and violation of democratic principles.
Economic development and general prosperity achieved a slightly better score of 2,73, thanks to progress in the areas of economic growth and digitalization, while very little was achieved in the domain of economic security and education.
The preservation of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity was rated 2,79 due to the continuous trend of withdrawal of state institutions from Kosovo, which contributes to the loss of sovereignty. On the other hand, the interest in preserving peace and stability in the region and the world recorded a slightly better result with a score of 3,19, with an emphasis on relatively successful international cooperation, although regional relations are still burdened by frequent disagreements, despite initiatives such as the Open Balkans.
National interests such as preserving the Serbian people and national minorities (2,65) and building a modern society based on European values (2,28) were rated with lower scores. These results reflect certain shortcomings in the policies of preserving the cultural and legal identity of the Serbian people, and especially the protection of national minorities. Also, these results are a consequence of the stagnation in the process of European integration, since Serbia has not opened any new negotiation chapters since 2021.
Nevertheless, although all national interests are of low degree of fulfillment, what is particularly worrying is the extremely low score of 1,93 for the preservation of the environment and resources of the Republic of Serbia. Problems such as poor air quality, inadequate waste disposal, environmental challenges in Bor and Majdanpek, as well as the challenges of the potential opening of lithium mines, clearly point to the urgent need to improve the environmental protection policy.
The data collected and analyzed as part of this research indicate that with an index of 2,61 on a scale of 1 to 5, the rate of realization of Serbia's national interests is slightly higher than 40 percent. Almost all internationally recognized methodologies and frameworks for measuring the success of achieving goals (SMART, Key Performance Indicators, OECD DAC Evaluation Framework, Results -Based Management) start from the fact that the achievement of 60-80 percent of the set goals is a sign of success, while a percentage below 50 percent of success indicates inadequate implementation of the goals. In this sense, the obtained results reveal that Serbia has significant room for improvement, especially in key areas, such as preservation of internal stability and security, improvement of economic development and education, preservation of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
Although some progress has been achieved in the realization of certain national interests, the findings suggest that areas such as environmental protection and European integration require the most serious review, because it seems that in these areas Serbia is moving away from its goals and not towards them. In order to improve policy effectiveness and achieve better alignment with national goals, it is necessary to redefine the approach to these areas and provide additional resources and attention. All this is possible if there is an overarching prerequisite, namely the existence of political will.
Arrests out of the blue, banishment from the country, beatings... All this happened to us in the last week alone. The Serbian Progressive Party, born from the foam left behind by their spiritual father Vojislav Šešelj, is returning to its roots. I can't escape from myself
"The levers of power are not in their hands," said Bishop Grigorije. "But there is something in the Holy Scriptures that I like very much, and that is that the power of God is revealed in weakness. So, all worldly power is on one side. And on the other side, in the hands of these young men and women is the weakness of this world. But in their weakness, the power of God or God's justice appears. That is why they are at such a great advantage."
The regime and its media have been trumpeting the "civil war" for months, and the government is the only one that has a patent for peace and stability - of course, with the help of the propaganda machine and the use of force. "It is a propaganda tactic of SNS that says: 'violence is everywhere, terrorists surround us, but we are here to save you,'" explains communication professor Jelena Kleut for "Vreme".
Students and citizens who accompany them on these walking feats, were welcomed as the most native together with those who came the day before from other places. A dove of peace was also released on the stage next to the promenade along the river - this symbolic gesture of the two students is the most impressive gesture of understanding and respect between the Bosniak and Serbian peoples since the end of the wars in the former Yugoslavia
The three-day parliament for the promotion of Aleksandar Vučić and his Movement for the People and the State was realistically a fiasco. But it was first of all conceived as a media spectacle for regime television directed by court promoter Željko "DJ Žeks" Mitrović, with scenography and iconography adapted to the Serbian political market.
Anyone who condemns the regime's targeting of people from the media, the non-governmental sector, the opposition and universities, must not agree to this targeting of RTS editors and journalists either.
The government of Đur Mazut is "counter-revolutionary", focused on retaliation and state and street violence against opponents of the regime
Depriving Dejan Ilić, an intellectual with an impeccable life and work biography, of his freedom, without the slightest meaningful reason, is just one of the brutal indicators that the regime has turned against its own citizens and is entering a phase of terror
Vučić and Šešelj: Where I stopped, you continue
The return of radical violence subscribeThe archive of the weekly Vreme includes all our digital editions, since the very beginning of our work. All issues can be downloaded in PDF format, by purchasing the digital edition, or you can read all available texts from the selected issue.
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