Zoran Dragišić

Dragišić in 2011

Zoran Dragišić (Serbian Cyrillic : Зоран Драгишић; born 21 January 1967) is a Serbian politician and professor at Faculty of Security Studies in Belgrade. He has served in the National Assembly of Serbia since 2016 as part of the parliamentary grouping of the Serbian Progressive Party (Srpska napredna stranka; SNS), although he is not a member of the party. He was previously a candidate for president of Serbia in the 2012 presidential election.

Early life and private career

Dragišić was born in Belgrade, in what was then the Socialist Republic of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and grew up in the Karaburma neighbourhood. ^[1] He graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Security Studies in 1991 as valedictorian and subsequently earned a master's degree (1999) and Ph.D. (2004) from the university's law faculty. He has worked in the department of security studies since 1994, been an associate professor of security management since 2010, and published extensively in the field. ^[2] Dragišić's views on defence and national security issues are frequently cited in the Serbian media.

In the early 2000s, Dragišić regularly promoted Serbia's cooperation with and eventual membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He remarked in 2005 that better relations with NATO would improve the position of Kosovo Serbs and help the process of Serbia's integration with the European Union. ^[3] He also criticized Russian efforts to interfere with Serbia's foreign policy in relation to NATO, ^[4] saying that Serbia was a sovereign nation and would ultimately make its own decisions. ^[5]

In 2007, Dragišić said that Serbia would be ready to join NATO within three years. ^[6] By 2009, however, he indicated that NATO's decision to accept Albania as a member introduced the prospect of Serbia's bid for membership being vetoed. ^[7] He further argues that this changed situation was detrimental to Serbia's territorial integrity; he remarked that if Serbia had joined the Partnership for Peace program earlier and become a NATO member prior to Albania, then Kosovo "would be part of Serbia and [its] independence would not be an issue." ^[8] By 2016, he accepted that NATO membership was no longer a realistic option, saying, "Serbia [has] clearly stated that it will not join NATO. And nobody has asked us to do it so far. In my opinion, we missed our chance in 2009, when Croatia and Albania joined the alliance." ^[9]

There were rumours in December 2005 that Dragišić would be appointed as inspector-general of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro's intelligence-security services. ^[10] This ultimately did not happen, and the state union ceased to exist the following year when Montenegro declared its independence.

Dragišić supported Serbia's decision to commemorate the seventieth anniversary of the Liberation of Belgrade with a military parade in 2014, noting that it highlighted the military's anti-fascist tradition and demonstrated to the world that Serbia was a credible country with a serious army. ^[11]

Dragišić has said that his favourite book is Ivo Andrić's Bosnian Chronicle. ^[12]

Politician

Before 2016

Dragišić was a founding member of Vuk Obradović's Social Democracy (Socijaldemokratija; SD) party. This party eventually became divided and factionalized, and in January 2008 Dragišić established a breakaway group called the Independent Social Democrats (Nezavisni Socijaldemokrata, NSD). ^[13] He stated that the latter party's goal was to unify Serbia's left-wing forces for the upcoming 2008 national elections, that it was "on the verge" of signing a coalition agreement with the Socialist Party of Serbia, and that the left should rally around Democratic Party incumbent Boris Tadić in the 2008 presidential election. He added that most NSD members (including himself) had been opponents of Slobodan Milošević's government in the 1990s but that it no longer made sense for Serbian politics to be divided between former supporters and former opponents of the Milošević regime. ^[14]

In August 2009, Dragišić merged the NSD into the newly formed Social Democratic Party of Serbia (Socijaldemokratska partija Srbije; SDPS) led by Rasim Ljajić. ^[15] This proved to be a short-lived alliance; Dragišić became disappointed with the SDPS's direction, left the party, and in October 2011 was chosen as leader of a new group called the Movement of Workers and Peasants (Pokret radnika i seljaka; PRS). At this party's founding conference, he indicated that its purpose would be to "give the state back to the people" and noted that it was supported by worker organizations such as Serbia's Union of Raspberry Producers, the Farmers' Association, and the Pig Breeders of Srem and Mačva. ^[16]

Dragišić ran under the PRS's banner in the 2012 Serbian presidential election. During this campaign, he pledged to use "all the state power, including the military, to break the backbone of organized crime, corruption and monopoly system in Serbia." ^[17] He received 60,116 votes (1.54%) in the first round of balloting, finishing tenth. ^[18] He also led the PRS's electoral list in the concurrent 2012 Serbian parliamentary election; the party received 57,199 votes (1.46%) and did not cross the electoral threshold to enter parliament. ^[19]

The PRS encouraged its supporters to vote for the Progressive Party's list in the 2014 Serbian parliamentary election. Dragišic remarked that Progressive Party leader and prime minister Aleksandar Vučić deserved to be returned to office for his work in fighting corruption and organized crime. ^[20]

Parliamentarian

Dragišić received the twenty-eighth position on the Progressive Party's Aleksandar Vučić – Serbia Is Winning list in the 2016 Serbian parliamentary election and was elected when the list won a majority victory with 131 out of 250 mandates. ^[21] During the 2016–20 parliament, he was a member of the assembly defence and internal affairs committee; a deputy member of the foreign affairs committee, the security services control committee, and the committee on education, science, technological development and the information society; a deputy member of Serbia's delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly; the head of the parliamentary friendship group with Turkey; and a member of the parliamentary friendship groups with China, Israel, Liechtenstein, North Korea, Syria, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. ^[22]

He received the thirty-third position on the Progressive Party's list in the 2020 Serbian parliamentary election ^[23] and was elected to a second term when the list won a landslide majority with 188 mandates. He remains a member of the defence committee and a deputy member of the foreign affairs and security services committees, now serves as a full member of Serbia's delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and is a member of the friendship groups with the China, Croatia, Israel Netherlands, Qatar, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. ^[24]

References

1. "Serbian paper profiles newly formed Peasants', Workers' Union party," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 7 November 2011 (Source: Danas website, Belgrade, in Serbian 2 Nov 11).
2. Dr Zoran Dragišić, University of Belgrade Faculty of Security Services, accessed 19 April 2017.
3. "Serbia-Montenegro military analysts welcome NATO transit deal," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 21 July 2005 (Source: Glas javnosti, Belgrade, in Serbian 20 Jul 05 pp 4,5); "NATO accord important for improving ties, Kosovo Serb security - analysts," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 22 July 2005 (Source: Dnevnik, Novi Sad, in Serbian 21 Jul 05 p 3).
4. "Analysts against Serbia giving up NATO in return for Russian veto," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 28 March 2007; "Envoy warns Belgrade Russia "will have to recognize Kosovo" if Serbia joins NATO," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 10 February 2010 (Source: Blic website, Belgrade, in Serbian 6 Feb 10).
5. "Analysts shocked at Putin's "audacity" to warn Serbia against joining NATO," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 28 March 2011 (Source: Blic website, Belgrade, in Serbian 25 Mar 11). Dragišić also criticized Serbia's decision to gain observer status at the parliamentary assembly of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2012, arguing that it would not benefit Serbian interests. See "Analysts view fallout of Serbia's decision to be observer in Russian-led bloc," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 13 December 2012 (Source: Blic website, Belgrade, in Serbian 10 Dec 12).
6. "Serbian defence minister confident Belgrade ready to join NATO by 2010," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 19 June 2007 (Source: Dnevnik, Novi Sad, in Serbian 18 Jun 07).
7. David Vujanovic, "Enclosed by NATO, Serbia ponders next move," Agence France Presse, 5 April 2009.
8. "Serbian governing parties differ on military neutrality, NATO membership," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 14 July 2009 (Source: Danas website, Belgrade, in Serbian 7 Jul 09).
9. "Serbia caught between NATO and Russia," Deutsche Welle, 26 February 2016.
10. "University professor to be appointed head of intelligence services - Serbian rad," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 1 December 2005 (Source: Radio B92 text website, Belgrade, in English 1338 gmt 1 Dec 05).
11. "Dragišić: Srbija ima respektabilnu vojsku", Blic (source: Tanjug), 14 October 2014, accessed 19 April 2017.
12. "Serbian paper profiles newly formed Peasants', Workers' Union party," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 7 November 2011 (Source: Danas website, Belgrade, in Serbian 2 Nov 11).
13. Tom Lansford, ed., Political Handbook of the World 2015.
14. "Chairman of newly formed Serbian party outlines programme, supports DS's Tadic," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 23 January 2008 (Source: FoNet news agency, Belgrade, in Serbian 1259gmt 23 Jan 08).
15. Thomas C. Muller, Judith F. Isacoff, and Tom Lansford, eds., Political Handbook of the World 2012, p. 1255.
16. "Serbian paper profiles newly formed Peasants', Workers' Union party," British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring European, 7 November 2011 (Source: Danas website, Belgrade, in Serbian 2 Nov 11).
17. "Zoran Dragišić predsednički kandidat". Radio Television of Serbia, 6 April 2012, accessed 19 April 2017.
18. Избори за председника Републике, одржани 6. и 20. маја 2012. године (Извештај о коначним резултатима поновљеног гласања за избор председника Републике одржаног 20. маја 2012. године), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 19 April 2017.
19. Избори за народне посланике Народне скупштине, 6. мај 2012. године, ИЗБОРНЕ ЛИСТЕ (ПОКРЕТ РАДНИКА И СЕЉАКА), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 19 April 2017.
20. Pokret radnika i seljaka podržaće listu Aleksandra Vučića, Blic (Source: Beta), 10 February 2014, accessed 19 April 2017.
21. Избори за народне посланике 2016. године » Изборне листе (АЛЕКСАНДАР ВУЧИЋ - СРБИЈА ПОБЕЂУЈЕ), Republika Srbija - Republička izborna komisija, accessed 17 February 2017.
22. ZORAN Prof. Dr DRAGISIC, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 19 April 2017.
23. "Ko je sve na listi SNS za republičke poslanike?", Danas, 6 March 2020, accessed 30 June 2020.
24. ZORAN Prof. Dr DRAGISIC, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, accessed 15 December 2020.