almanac on security sector oversight in the Western Balkans

states and in the region (Hadžić, 2001). The consequence of these changes, including
the fall of delegitimised regimes, was that these countries witnessed an unprecedented
explosion of long suppressed and important internal contradictions.
Table 1: Phases of change in the security sector contexts in the Western Balkans
Country Formation of the state
and apparatuses of
power
Albania The fall of Communism
and the collapse of the
old state structure
(1991–1997)
BiH First period
(November 1990–
December 1997)
Croatia Initial phase of
state-building
(1990–1995)
Kosovo The outset of security
sector development
(1999–2005)
Macedonia From independence to
conflict
(1991–2001)
Montenegro End of socialism and
socio-political context
(1989–1997)
Serbia Milosevic’s era
(1989–2000)
216
Normalisation and
stabilisation
Return to normality and
Euro-Atlantic
orientation of reforms
(1997–2000)
Second Period
(January 1998–
January 2006)
Era of democratic deficit
(1995–2000)
Gradual transfer of
competencies to the
locals
(2005–2008)
From Ohrid to Bucharest
(2001–2008)
From the split of the
ruling party to an independent
state
(1997–2006)
Democratic changes –
Point of no return?
(2000–2003)
Beginning of the first
generation of SSR (2003
–2006)
Democratisation
Consolidation of security
sector institutions
and oversight
(2000–2009)
Third period
(February 2006–
December 2009)
Country on the reform
track
(2000–present)
New security
architecture
(2008–present)
Post-veto nationalism
(2008)
Building of institutions
and Euro-Atlantic
integration
(2006–2009)
Reforms vs. foreign
policy shift?
(2006–2009)
This was a time when key deficiencies – economic, political and security related –
were brought to light. In the period of the second Yugoslavia, during the late 1980s,
these deficiencies were internally crystalised and antagonised along ethnic and religous
lines. The result of the wars and dissolution of the country in the 1990s was
the creation of mostly ethnically cleansed states or state-like entities. The conflict in
Kosovo followed, only to be ended with NATO military intervention in 1999, creating
the key pre-requisites for Kosovo’s later proclamation of independence. 189 The same
189 It should be noted that Serbia does not recognise this act and considers Kosovo and Metohia a part
of its territory. Kosovo was one of the units of analysis in this project, and for more information on the
development of SSR please consult chapter four above.The debate on the status of Kosovo is not within
the framework of this paper.