Lawless Rule Versus Rule of Law in the Balkans;Special rept

摘要

In spite of the cultural diversity of the Balkans, the political economies of the region share a common, criminalized legacy. Extremist political factions have dominated politics in the post-Tito era by wielding a capacity for coercion and political violence derived from control over the state security apparatus and intelligence activities. The economies of the region have become increasingly criminalized as assets of socially owned enterprises were stripped, and smuggling and organized criminal activity became the primary means of income. Politics was a zero-sum game with outcomes ultimately decided by violent means. Control of the state translated into predatory exploitation of both the formal and underground economies. These kleptocracies exploited and inflamed ethnic tensions as a means of legitimizing their rule. The wars that resulted afforded abundant opportunities for those in power to profit from arms smuggling and sanctions busting. The extremist power structures described in this report were thus responsible for instigating conflict and profiting ruthlessly from it, very often by dealing with each other to move commodities across ethnic boundaries. Today these largely informal power structures retain the motivation and means to obstruct the transformation to self-sustaining peace in Bosnia and Kosovo and to thwart democratic consolidation in Serbia. They continue to operate with impunity from prosecution, suborn or blackmail elected politicians, extort profit from entrepreneurs, and manipulate the media. Dismantling these power structures and ushering in the rule of law has thus become a top international priority.