It's all the same, only the names have changed: The impact of the Kosovo issue on domestic politics in post-Milosevic Serbia

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the link between the Kosovo issue and Serbian domestic politics. My hypothesis is that Kosovo has been decisive in turning Serbia away from the European Union and the West and toward ultra-nationalism. Shunning the West and EU membership allows corrupt politicians to delay political and economic reforms that would likely impact the way they profit from the Serbian political system. There is also a measure of ethnic outbidding that is taking place. Although some political parties are willing to compromise on Kosovo, they do not feel it is a politically viable position to hold. With the election of Boris Tadic and his pro-reform Democratic Party in 2008, however, Serbia may be ready to move past an issue that has held its politics hostage since the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.