Naval Postgraduate School

Who is Guarding Serbia's Borders? an Assessment of Serbia's Progress in Border Security Development and Reform Naval Postgraduate School

Publisher Marketing: This study considers how Serbian border security sector reform illuminates questions of force and statecraft in a southern European nation. In 2006, Serbia became a member of the Partnership for Peace (PfP), a step toward a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership; however, Serbia has indicated no intention to become a full NATO member. Also in 2006, Serbia entered into a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union (EU) as part of the process of accession to EU membership; however, Serbia must meet EU conditions regarding border security reform and must continue to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY) for full membership to be realized. This thesis evaluates Serbia's continued efforts to integrate into the EU structures. It begins with a historical overview of the leadership, politics and reform of the Serbian security sector before the 21st century. It then explores the role of the international community, including Russia, in providing assistance to Serbia during the past decade. The thesis then focuses on Serbia's progress in border security development, Integrated Border Management (IBM), border guard reform and customs administration reform. This thesis argues that, despite the on-going efforts of the international community to integrate Serbia into the EU community, due to the unique political and social circumstances specific to Serbia regarding comprehensive reform of ethics and power, the continuing border security reform efforts in Serbia-and hence, EU membership-will most likely remain another decade in the future.