Transcript Republic of Serbia

Republic of Serbia
(Republika Srbija)
History
Long history with numerous peaks and valleys
Originally Byzantine vassal
Gained independence and became regional power
Conquered by Ottomans, Belgrade fell in 1521
Regained complete independence in 1815
Gained significant territory prior to WWI, then
formed Yugoslavia with capital at Belgrade
• Yugoslavia disintegrated in 1992, resulting in the
“Federal Republic of Yugoslavia” comprised of Serbia
and Montenegro
• Serbia and Montenegro de-unified in 2006, leaving
only the Republic of Serbia
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Geography
• Area: 88,361 km² (with
Kosovo), 77,474 km² (without)
• Borders 8 nations
• Significant land diversity
– About 20% of area is arable land
– Mountains in SW and E
(Carpathians, Dinaric Alps)
• Danube River
• Moderate climate
• Mineral deposits
Government
• Head of State: President Boris Tadic
– Five year term, two term limit
– Tadic is in second term
– Pro-western, pro-EU, centre-left
• Head of Government: Prime Minister
Mirko Cvetkovic
– Elected by National Assembly
• Legislature: National Assembly
– 250 seats, four-year terms
– Multi-party
• Has both general and special, issuespecific high courts
Economy
• GDP: $78.44bn
• GDP growth: 2.9%
• About 55% of workforce in
service industry
• High inflation rates
• Significant agriculture
industry
• Some light manufacturing
and textiles
• Currently under some IMF
restrictions
Military
• Formerly a historic power of
sorts during WWI/WWII era
• Compulsory service
• Conscription abolished this year
• Available manpower about 2.8m
• 2.1% of GDP to defense
• Significant Soviet-era equipment
due to the former Yugoslavia
Culture
• Strong Orthodox traditions
– Owed to ties with Byzantines
– Several monasteries that are
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
• Long tradition of theatres
and later cinema
• Very family-oriented
society
• Sports focus on basketball
and football
Nationalism and
“Greater Serbia”
• Irredentism/revanchism has deep
roots in Serbia
• One such movement was
responsible for igniting WWI (see:
Gavrilo Princip)
• The Greater Serbia concept also
plays a role in the various war
crimes and ethnic cleansing that
occurred in Bosnia and Kosovo
• Serbia still claims Kosovo despite
the latter’s declaration of
independence in 2008
– EU, U.S. recognize Kosovo
– United Nations does not recognize
Kosovo
International Involvement
• Serbia is a UN member state and is
associated with many UN-related organs
• Serbia cooperates with/is a member of
many other agencies
• Serbia only recently took steps to accede to
the WTO
• Currently moving towards both EU
integration and NATO membership
• Territory disputes with neighbors, along
with issue of Kosovar independence
• Largest population of refugees in Europe