28 January 2004, VOA

Ben Works on the difficulties in making up the Government of Serbia

 Branko Mikasinovic 

 

B.M.: What do you think about the possibility of reestablishment of monarchy in Serbia? 

B.W.: When you have a politically dysfunctional society, one of the realistic options is reestablishment of monarchy, like it is the case with some current attempts in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are talking about a constitutional monarchy in which the monarch is above everyday politics and represents a symbol. Serbia and Montenegro have a ceremonial president, not unlike a monarch. However, I believe that the most successful systems are those with a strong president, like in the USA, or a strong parliamentary system, like in Great Britain.

 

(Benjamin Crocker Works is the Executive Director of The Strategic Issues Research Institute in Arlington Virginia)