Even on the 26th anniversary of NATO's intervention against barbarity, as Tony Blair assessed in his “Doctrine of International Community” speech on April 22, 1999 in Chicago, Serbia continues to not apologize for the genocide and to camouflage itself as a political hyena in line with Russia's goals. With the rhetoric of the victim, it attempts to hide the ethnic cleansing and the killings and massacres in Kosovo, which according to human rights organizations “left no alternative” to NATO intervention (Under Orders: War Crimes in Kosovo, HRW, 2001).
By condemning the defensive alliance of Kosovo, Albania and Croatia as a threat and violation of the arms control agreement (1996), Vučić "forgets" Serbia's armament in recent years, while by "complaining" to Serbian citizens about the consequences of the bombings, Serbia feeds the "sense of injustice" as a prerequisite for new scenarios of violence.
Serbia as an extension of Russia
Due to the campaign of crimes and ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, NATO began bombing military targets in the FRY on 24 March 1999. The consequences of its aggression in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina had convinced the international community of the necessity of a tough reaction against Milošević.
The monstrous crimes in Kosovo, with over 13,000 civilians killed and massacred, nearly a million forcibly displaced, and thousands of women and girls raped, legitimized “the use of force against massive violations of human rights,” as UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan assessed at the time. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright emphasized in her memoirs that ethnic cleansing in the heart of Europe could not be allowed (Albright, M. (2003). Madam Secretary, Miramax Books).
NATO spokesman at the time, Jamie Shea, who said the intervention had preceded the “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine, now recalls the importance of the alliance’s swift and strong response. However, despite the truth, as on every anniversary, Serbia continues to complain about “aggression” and “historical injustice” as a strategic narrative to deny the crimes in Kosovo and to portray NATO as the “enemy” of the Serbian people.
This is also striking in today's reaction of Milorad Dodik - sanctioned by the US and wanted by the judiciary in Bosnia and Herzegovina for acts against the constitutional order - who, using emotional rhetoric, denounces NATO as a "climate alliance that has dropped bombs on children". Serbia has repeatedly used such rhetoric and manipulative narratives, also spread by the church, to deepen its citizens' hostility towards the West and to strengthen its ties with Russia. By considering any agreement or expansion of NATO and the EU as a provocation and threat, it manifests fear of democracy and an extension of Russian geopolitical interests in the Balkans.
Although it camouflages itself as moderate, it continues its aggression against Kosovo, continues to arm itself, and intervenes in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. This means that its rhetoric against NATO is not simply historical anger, but preparation for new scenarios of violence and destabilization. Through the propaganda of the victim, it is reloading the weapon for its old expansionist goals. Therefore, the fight for truth is not separate from the fight for peace in the region: neutralizing this propaganda is not simply a duty for historical truth, but also an imperative for a bloodless future.
Serbia in the role of the hyena
Based on NATO's resolve and new alliances against the Serbian-Russian threat in the Balkans, the Serbia of 2025 is more of a political hyena than an open enemy – an actor who feigns victimhood, who screams in international forums for "justice", but who behind the scenes threatens, incites tensions and prepares to strike if it senses weakness in its opponent.
Serbia's "cries" against the defense agreement between Kosovo, Albania and Croatia (March 18, 2025) show its fear, not of an attack that it knows will not come, but of the failure of "predatory" plans. After the agreement, which includes: - cooperation in the defense industry, - interaction in education, training and exercises, - increased resilience against hybrid threats and - support for Euro-Atlantic integration, signed by the defense ministers of the three countries in Tirana, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić accused Albania and Croatia of starting an "arms race" in the region, by cooperating with Kosovo's institutions. Defense Minister Branislav Gašić called the agreement a "provocation" that contradicts efforts for regional security. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry asked Tirana and Zagreb for explanations for the inclusion of Kosovo, assessing that the agreement undermines regional stability.
However, these noises from Belgrade received a quick and clear response from Croatia and Kosovo, through Defense Minister Ivan Anusic and President Vjosa Osmani, who emphasized that “the time has passed when Serbia was asked.” Vučić’s complaints about the agreement between the two NATO countries and Kosovo, which is within its orbit through KFOR, did not even reach NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during the meeting in Brussels.
Serbia knows that the agreement does not pose a threat to it, but its strategy seeks to play the role of the victim, to pretend and evade like a hyena, preparing the ground for a new attack in the name of defense. The continuation of the perfidious propaganda against NATO while camouflaged as “innocent” and its aggressive arming while acting as a “victim” confirm this role of its, coordinated with Russia, for their geopolitical appetites. For this reason, the anniversary of NATO’s intervention is a date to remember its necessity. Narratives that aim to transform the aggressor into a victim are not just manipulation – they are a threat to the future. Period.
Author: Prof. Dr. Assoc. Arben Fetoshi (A2 Televizion)
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