Serbia After the Criminal Past: What Went Wrong and What Should be Done

This article explores the relationship between the recent criminalpast and the contemporary socio-political condition in Serbia.Basic assumptions employed are that the recent past is definedby collective crimes, this past has retained relevance afterthe regime change of October 2000 and that Serbia has thus farchosen the wrong methods for dealing with its criminal legacies.Due to the persistence of damaging political, cultural and moralattitudes about the past, the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevichas failed to bring about the necessary political and moralbreak. Thus, it is legitimate to explore alternative ways ofcoming to terms with the legacies of past crimes, including,as this article proposes, the establishment of a truth commissionin Serbia.