Dragana Trifkovic, Director General of the Center for geostrategic studies
The US Agency for International Development USAID has been present on the Serbian market since 2001. the year and according to US data is up to 2024. it has invested about долара 937 million annually on various projects. The key partner of USAID is the Government of Serbia with which, on the basis of partnership relations, this agency has implemented projects related to judicial reform, strengthening democracy and institutions, gender equality, economic development, education development, environmental protection, support to Serbia's European integration, improvement of energy efficiency, etc. In addition, USAID also cooperated with the private sector (economy) as well as civil society on projects related to the protection of citizens ' rights, media freedoms, encouraging entrepreneurship, etc. According to this agency in Serbia, they cooperated with about 500 organizations and 250 media outlets. Now the new US administration led by Donald Trump has decided to suspend USAID projects for 90 days to review the agency's operations. A number of suspicions have been raised that money from the budget of American citizens is being spent corruptly through unethical means.
Фото: Саманта Пауер (USAID) и председник Србије Александар Вучић
Judging by the results in Serbia, by the state of state institutions, especially the judiciary that is not available to citizens at all, and the high level of corruption, lack of media freedom and poor state of human rights protection, it can be noted that the doubts of the US administration are more than justified. On the other hand, the Serbian regime is trying to use the new situation for its political goals and shift responsibility to the civil sector, even though the state was the main carrier of cooperation with USAID. More than that, with the arrival of the current government at the head of Serbia, a large part of the NGO that was previously financed by the West, moved to the budget of the citizens of Serbia. In this way, the West saved funds by shifting financing, to a large extent subversive activities, to the state budget of the citizens of Serbia. Also, many personnel from the U.S. non-governmental sector moved into the state administration. The most obvious example is Ana Brnabic, who without any political authority has been the Prime Minister of Serbia in several terms since 2017. by 2024. Marko Blagojevic, Minister in the Government of Ana Brnabic, Jelena Milic, who is the current ambassador of Serbia to Croatia and others. Therefore, first of all, there is a need to study the state level of cooperation with USAID, but also other Western funds, as well as the integration of personnel from the Western non-governmental sector into the state system, which has an impact on the sovereignty of the country and the functionality of state institutions that should serve the interests of citizens, and not the interests of external centers of power. The most difficult situation is in the judiciary where the U.S. has invested the most.
Фото: Ана Брнабић и Ивица Дачић са америчким амбасадором и представиком USAID
How deeply USAID infiltrated the state system is evidenced by the fact that it financed the creation of the website of the National Assembly of Serbia, on which until recently stood the logo of this agency, until Vucic opposition she did not respond to a request to remove him in order to erase traces of the regime's cooperation with the US agency.
Following an already standard pattern of behavior, the regime launched a campaign to shift the responsibility to others and use the circumstances to blame unnamed NGOs as well as students for USAID money to "overthrow the regime". Given that the current regime in Serbia is a key partner of the West, it is clear that such claims are not logical. And that the regime is actually abusing the protests of Citizens for manipulation on the external level, where it is giving Russia information that it is a color revolution financed by the West, and the West that behind the protests in Serbia are Russian intelligence services and Russian interests. Protests against the government in Serbia have no leaders so far, although various political organizations have tried to impose on students. The collapse of the political system through the degradation of political parties, on which the regime of Aleksandar Vucic has worked intensively for the last ten years, has led to the disabling of any political alternative. For this reason, in the political sense the regime is not directly threatened, because the opposition has proved to be extremely cooperative and focused on personal interests.
Фото: Кристофер Хил и Зорана Михајловић
What is dangerous for the regime is the high level of dissatisfaction of citizens, which has a cumulative effect, as well as the now widespread open criticism of the authorities. Such a situation requires the necessary changes.
Given that in America Trump won a second term and immediately took harsh and intensive measures in many directions, dismantling the old mechanisms of global governance (CIA, USAID, Hollywood, etc.), the situation in Europe began to move in the direction of strengthening the right, which stands for traditional values. Here increasingly there is a separation between the interests of London, which was an important factor in the globalist structure of governance and which controlled most of the governing structures in Europe, and Washington, which rejects the globalist model of governance and changes it to an Americentric one. This means that the US will no longer be controlled by supranational structures, as a platform for expanding global influence, but will focus on regaining sovereignty and expanding US influence in certain zones.
The new American policy is based on the need to compete with Russia and China in an ideological sense, as neoliberalism has moved into a phase of complete decadence. This does not mean that American politics will fundamentally change in international frameworks, but that it will be structured and masked differently by neoconservatism instead of neoliberalism. Accordingly, Vucic, who was brought to power with the support of globalist structures with a center in London, and who are losing influence, is trying to survive in power through various machinations. In this regard, he designed a platform for conversion in the form of a new movement for the "future" of Serbia. Essentially, the future of Serbia, but also of the whole of Europe, depends largely on the balance of forces at the global level and, above all, the agreement between Russia and the United States on zones of influence. The process of negotiations between the two powers will relate not only to Ukraine, but also to other issues on which there is disagreement, and above all to the withdrawal of NATO infrastructure to the 1997 framework. years. This also applies directly to the territory of Serbia, i.e. the southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija.
Фото: Александар Вулин
The president of Russia is very fond of Serbian-Russian relations and understands their value. Although there are many doubts about the fact that Vucic, who has made a number of anti-Russian moves, still has Moscow's support, it should be borne in mind that Russian policy is aimed at maximum avoidance of conflict and maintaining stability. The experiences of both world wars say it is necessary. Taking into account all these facts, the question remains open whether the necessary systemic reforms will be initiated in Serbia, which include the gathering of professional and qualified people, the crackdown on crime and corruption, the strengthening of state institutions, the protection of state and national interests, all contrary to what is implemented in practice by the ruling regime. There is hope that student protests will initiate such processes, but they cannot be led and implemented by the criminalized structures of the current regime.
Source: Center for Geostrategic Studies
Note: part of the text was published in Turkish print and electronic media https://www.aydinlik.com.tr/haber/usaidin-sirbistandaki-karanlik-isleri-amac-natoyu-genisletmek-509690
19. February 2025.
