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The spectre of Slobodan Milošević continues to haunt Serbia

Despite having died over 17 years ago following his war crime tribunal in The Hague, Slobodan Milošević continues to make a mark in Serbian politics. Helping to understand his legacy and why it lives on should be the first step in overcoming the divisive politics of today. This will ultimately redirect Serbia back on the path to integration with the West.

The collapse of communist Yugoslavia was undoubtedly the biggest tragedy for the Balkans at the end of the 20th century. What had been agreed during and after that conflict still greatly affects Balkan politics to this day. Other than the changes in borders or alliances, many politicians and political parties rose to prominence during the war or afterwards because of it. The most familiar person to anyone both in the Balkans and in the West that made their claim to power during the Yugoslav Wars is the former president of Yugoslavia, Slobodan Milošević.

February 7, 2024 - Stefan Mandic - AnalysisIssue 1-2 2024Magazine

Illustration by Andrzej Zaręba

Milošević has one of the most complicated legacies and images of any politician of the 1990s. Inquiring about his name will bring about a wild variety of claims. For some in Serbia, he was a dictator, a kleptocrat, a murderer and a moron. While for others, he was a patriot, a hero, a true leader and a man who stood against a sinister anti-Serbian conspiracy. In the eyes of the West, he was an autocrat who engineered ethnic cleansing and other crimes in the Balkans, but for many citizens in Serbia, he was the opposite, being seen as a national hero who opposed NATO encroachment.

Roots of the legacy

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