Democracy Sags in Serbia

President Bush declared in November that the United States was leading a “global democratic revolution.” But what happens when radicals hijack democracy for their own anti-democratic ends? Serbia’s election last Sunday, in which nationalists garnered the biggest share of the vote, offers a fresh reminder that it’s easier to champion than to create viable democratic societies.

Serbia is not on the verge of a return to genocidal wars against Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia. Serbia’s humiliating defeat by NATO forces in 1999 during the Kosovo war punctured its pretensions to great-power status in the Balkans. But upheaval and assassinations have hampered its path toward stability and a prosperous economy. As long as ultranationalism remains a serious force, international corporations will be reluctant to invest in Serbia, and its eventual entry into the European Union will be slowed.

Much of the blame falls on democratic forces themselves. Since nationalist thugs murdered Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in March, Serbia’s democratic parties have been mired in scandals and power struggles rather than governing. The nationalists deftly exploited the squabbles by promising a quick economic recovery and an expansion of Serbia’s borders at the expense of its neighbors. The nationalist Serbian Radical Party, led by former Serb paramilitary commander Vojislav Seselj, was the biggest single vote winner. Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic also won a seat in parliament. However, Seselj and Milosevic cannot serve because they are imprisoned and face the war crimes tribunal at The Hague.

The Bush administration needs to be mindful of the results in Serbia. As Newsweek editor Fareed Zakaria notes in his recent bestseller “The Future of Freedom,” a disturbing phenomenon he calls illiberal democracy has begun to flourish around the globe. In Russia, Vladimir Putin holds democratic elections but employs unconstitutional means, including muzzling the press, to expand his power. In Iraq, the majority Shiites might exploit an election to impose authoritarian rule, and in Saudi Arabia, Muslim radicals might seek a theocracy via free elections.

A new Rand Corp. study called “America’s Role in Nation-Building” notes that success depends not on a nation’s level of wealth or education but the level of effort the U.S. and other countries are willing to devote to physical reconstruction of war-torn lands. No one can tell Serbs how to vote, but creating a functioning democracy comes down to things Americans take for granted -- supplying courts with legal textbooks, helping trade unions develop and getting schools connected to the Internet. The gritty work of building up democratic parties, supervising elections and educating populations requires patience, whether in Serbia or Iraq.