Spahiu: Reinstating mandatory military service a wrong direction for Serbia, but does not pose a danger to the region

Political analyst and professor Nexhmedin Spahiu assesses for Kosovo Online that the announcement of reinstating mandatory military service in Serbia is evidence that Serbia is moving in the opposite direction of what the West expects from it, however, he believes that such a move does not pose a danger to the region.

"The West expects the Serbian Army to align with NATO and to eventually become a member of this organization, and the reintroduction of military service indicates the opposite direction. Does it pose a danger to the region? I don't think so because Serbia is surrounded by the NATO pact from all sides. It is still a major power compared to the strength of Serbia. The only thing Serbia can do is disturb relations due to its influence on weaker countries like Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, or Albania," Spahiu says.

He notes that in such a situation, it is difficult to expect Serbia to assume the role of a military leader in the region, but that it can have an important political and economic role.

"I don't know if the reintroduction of compulsory military service is economically justified, but those who decided on it know. If the tendency is to have a professional army, then that is something that should have been done," Spahiu emphasizes.

According to him, the announcement of the reintroduction of mandatory military service in Serbia has not sparked specific reactions in Kosovo.

"People here are dormant. They are confident that NATO is here and that nothing can happen to them. Even when I talk about the danger of conflicts erupting in the region, they think I am exaggerating and that such a thing is not realistic," Spahiu says.