Strategy for Integrating Serbia Into the West

The liberal institutions of Western integration, such as NATO and the EU, have the best chance of socializing a multi ethnic Serbia into living in peace with its neighbors. Joining these institutions and integrating with the West will also provide Serbia with the greatest prospects for economic growth. In this paper, I will first look at why it is in the interest of the US, EU and Serbia to integrate Serbia into the West. I will then outline the recent (May 2008) Serbian election results that demonstrated the Serbian people's desire to leave their nationalist past behind. This gives the West a window of opportunity to act. Next will be a look at the two most important steps Serbia must take to join the West. I will first look at the importance of joining NATO and the Serbian military's preparations for NATO integration. The paper concludes with a look at the Serbian criminal-political-security nexus that threatens to strangle Serbia's economic recovery and stall its quest to join the EU. These last two sections will also give some suggestions for actions that Serbia, the US and EU can take to bring Serbia into NATO and break the criminal-political-security nexus.