Danilo Mandic ( Printscreen/YouTube/CTB CTB)
Harvard lecturer and sociologist Danilo Mandic has stated that there is a tacit agreement between the nationalistic Serbian and Kosovo authorities that joint anti-corruption, anti-trafficking and anti-mafia policies and efforts would destabilize their power.
In an interview for the June 24 issue of the Vreme weekly, Mandic also said that what is worse is that neither the U.S. nor Europe mention the fight against the mafia.
“As long as this matter is on the back-burner, both Belgrade and Pristina will use the negotiations as a strong alibi for incompetence and authoritarianism, while for the international community this will be yet another ‘proof’ that the only way to deal with tribal primitives is by force,” the sociologist said.
When mafia is instrumentalizing the state, that is called “corruption”, but when the state instrumentalizes mafia, that is called “patriotism”, he explained.
According to Vreme, in his latest book, Gangsters and Other Statesmen, Mandic examines this connection between mafia and separatist movements all over the globe, and exposes how the links between criminals and nationalistic leaders often develop naturally.
When asked if organized crime had managed to keep its hold on Kosovo even after the war, Mandic replied that the crime in Kosovo in fact blossomed after “the liberation.”
According to him, Serbia is one of the countries like Georgia, Nigeria, Turkey and others, which had tried to solve their ethno-national problems using crime channels.
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