ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the practice of security sector governance in Serbia since the fall of Slobodan Miloevi. It argues that for much of this period, informal mechanisms of governance and control have been as or more important than their formal equivalents. However, as the Serbian experience in the security sector demonstrates, their impact on the everyday practice of governance can sometimes be limited, and focusing too closely on the formal risks misunderstanding the true nature and dynamics of political change in transforming societies. The context for Serbia's current political transformation was set in October 2000, when Miloevi was ousted from power in Belgrade. The formal rules about how political institutions are supposed to work are often poor guides to what actually happens. This observation highlights the distinction between the formal rules of electoral or procedural democracy and the often informal nature of governance, a space in which much practice of civil-security sector relations in Serbia has taken place since 2000.