1st Edition

Between Justice and Stability The Politics of War Crimes Prosecutions in Post-Miloševic Serbia

By Mladen Ostojic Copyright 2014

    Exploring the impact of the International Criminal Tribunal (ICTY) on regime change in Serbia, this book examines the relationship between international criminal justice and democratisation. It analyses in detail the repercussions of the ICTY on domestic political dynamics and provides an explanatory account of Serbia's transition to democracy. Lack of cooperation and compliance with the ICTY was one of the biggest obstacles to Serbia's integration into Euro-Atlantic political structures following the overthrow of Milosevic. By scrutinising the attitudes of the Serbian authorities towards the ICTY and the prosecution of war crimes, Ostojic explores the complex processes set in motion by the international community's policies of conditionality and by the prosecution of the former Serbian leadership in The Hague. Drawing on a rich collection of empirical data, he demonstrates that the success of international judicial intervention is premised upon democratic consolidation and that transitional justice policies are only ever likely to take root when they do not undermine the stability and legitimacy of political institutions on the ground.

    Chapter 1 Introduction: International Justice and Transitional Democracy; Chapter 2 Setting the Context: Serbia’s Protracted Transition; Chapter 3 Regime Change and the Politics of Cooperation with the ICTY; Chapter 4 International Justice, State Responsibility and Truth-Telling; Chapter 5 Domestic War Crimes Trials; Conclusion: An Ambivalent Legacy;

    Biography

    Mladen Ostojić specializes in different aspects of international intervention and democracy-promotion in South-East Europe. He completed his PhD at Queen Mary, University of London, in 2011. His research expertise lies in the areas of transitional justice, democratisation, Europeanisation and civil society development in South-East Europe.

    "Between Justice and Stability will be an essential reading for scholars of the Western Balkans, transitional justice, and international human rights interventions more broadly."

    Jelena Subotić, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Georgia State University