Structural changes in Yugoslavia

[Chris Burford <cburford@xxxxxxxxxx>]

While electoral changes may not be as great as the west would like to
believe, some detail is emerging about changes to the structure of power in
Yugoslavia.

Sky News reports that the heads of a number of industries have been sacked,
and that all civil servants serving the federal parliament have been sacked.

These changes suggest that Yugoslavia was operating on a system different
from western bourgeois democracy. And, ironically, that that is continuing.

The federal presidency itself does not carry much power, but the symbolism
of Kostunica's victory presumably has a major hegemonic impact.

These sackings may mark a real shift in structural power relations behind
the political parties.

Presumably if the Socialist Party of Serbia continues in its present form,
it may be reduced to a popularity of 10 to 20%, and is likely to go through
a crisis of ideology and leadership.

The changes in the leadership of economic institutions may suggest that in
class terms there was a revolt by a coalition of class forces, (certainly
fostered by the West) against a transitional form of oligarch capitalism
linked with the SPS.

From this point of view there is a revision of economic power structures
similar to that under review in Russia.

A complicated struggle may now ensue between the old structure, more
democratic national capital, and western finance capital. Long term,
western finance capital is likely to win, but there may be more room for
resistance than might have appeared a week ago, although it may be
difficult for the SPS to argue that the system now being dismantled
retained important socialist features.

The best that can be hoped for is that the SPS and left democratic forces
will argue for a national capitalist economic framework that maintains
employment and resists the worst neo-liberal ravages of western finance
capital.



Chris Burford

London