Ousting Foreign Strongmen: Lessons from Serbia

{
  "authors": [
    "Thomas Carothers"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "democracy",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "DCG",
  "programs": [
    "Democracy, Conflict, and Governance"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "United States",
    "Eastern Europe"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy",
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

Other

Ousting Foreign Strongmen: Lessons from Serbia

By Thomas Carothers

Published on May 17, 2001

Source: Carnegie

Ousting Foreign Strongmen: Lessons Learned from Serbia
In this policy brief, Thomas Carothers discusses the connection between Western democracy aid and the downfall of Slobodan Milosevic. Do the United States and its European allies now have a proven method for ousting strongmen leaders they dislike? Download full text in PDF format.

Citizenship Today: Global Perspectives and Practices
Citizenship Today brings together leading experts in their field to define the core issues at stake in the citizenship debates. Also by the same editors, From Migrants to Citizens.

Russia?s Nuclear and Missile Complex: The Human Factor in Proliferation
This report provides the first detailed statistical glimpse inside the Russian nuclear and missile complexes, provides the results of extensive surveys performed in five Russian nuclear cities and three Russian missile enterprises, and paints the most complete picture yet available of the living and working conditions of Russia’s weapons experts. Download full text in PDF format.

The Role of the Multilateral Development Banks in Emerging Market Economies
This report argues that the MDBs should continue to lend to the emerging market economies as an integral part of their ongoing role in the years ahead. Download full text in PDF format.

Pitfalls on the Road to Fiscal Decentralization Vito Tanzi discusses issues relevant to the question of whether or not fiscal decentralization would generate the positive results that its supporters claim. Download full text in PDF format.

Soldiers Before Missiles: Meeting the Challenge from the World's Streets
In this policy brief Anatol Lieven discusses the kind of future warfare on which the U.S. Army should be concentrating its new weapons development, its tactical thinking, and its moral preparation. Download full text in PDF format.

Funding Virtue: Civil Society Aid and Democracy Promotion
Funding Virtue examines how civil society aid has been embraced as a key tool of democracy promotion. Its broad geographic reach, practical focus, and analytic rigor make this book an invaluable guide to international affairs.

The Third Force: The Rise of Transnational Civil Society
The Third Force brings together a multinational group of authors to help policy makers, scholars, corporate executives, and activists themselves understand the issues surrounding transnational civil society.

Recent Publications

The Myth of Output Collapse after Communism looks at what really happened to output during the initial transition in the former soviet bloc, comprising the former Soviet Union and six East-Central European countries. Download full text in PDF format.

Washington Contentious: Economic Policies for Social Equity in Latin America sets forth a new menu of economic policy alternatives for governments that want a better future for all their citizens. Download full text in PDF format.

Future Shock: The WTO and Political Change in China, argues that the Chinese government's ability to overcome its short-term difficulties is not assured because of weaknesses in the current political system as well as social and political stress in the Chinese society. Download full text in PDF format.

Breaking the Labor-Trade Deadlock represents an effort to shake loose the current policy logjam, over incorporating labor issues into trade agreements by asserting and describing a viable and credible win-win alternative approach. Download full text in PDF format.

An Agenda for Renewal, produced by the Russian and Eurasian Program, sets out an innovative agenda for the renewal of the U.S.-Russian relationship. Download full text in PDF format.

Less is Better: An Agenda for Africa
Marina Ottaway
The next U.S. administration should acknowledge that immediate transformation of the continent is impossible. In this policy brief, Marina Ottaway states that Africa will be helped most by a narrower U.S. policy focused on realistic goals. Download full text in PDF format.

The World Bank of the Future: Victim, Villain, Global Credit Union?
Nancy Birdsall
Street protestors and conservative critics alike are complaining about the World Bank . In this policy brief, Nancy Birdsall dissects the critics' positions and proposes World Bank reforms rarely put on the table. Download full text in PDF format.

The Clinton Record on Democracy Promotion
Thomas Carothers
Thomas Carothers critically examines the actual role of democracy promotion in Clinton policies around the world. Download full text in PDF format.

Reinventing Japan: Immigration's Role in Shaping Japan's Future
Demetrios Papademetriou and Kimberly Hamilton
This publication looks at Japan's approach to immigration and argues that Japan will have to adopt a more open immigration policy.

Intervention in International Conflicts: Legal and Political Conundrums
Chantal de Jonge Oudraat
This working paper looks at the legal, political and operational stumbling blocks to intervention. Download full text in PDF format.

Repairing the Regime: Preventing the Spread of Mass Destruction
Joseph Cirincione
There has never been a better time for a new, comprehensive review of the state of the international non-proliferation regime.

After the Crisis
Nancy Birdsall and Stephan Haggard
After the Crisis examines the impact of the Asian financial crisis on an emergent middle class. Download full text in PDF format.

About the Author

Thomas Carothers

Harvey V. Fineberg Chair for Democracy Studies; Director, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Thomas Carothers, director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, is a leading expert on comparative democratization and international support for democracy.

Recent Work

Paper
Post-U.S. International Democracy Support: Aspiration in Search of Substance
- Richard Youngs, Thomas Carothers
Article
How Anger Over Corruption Keeps Driving Global Politics
- Thomas Carothers, McKenzie Carrier

Political Reform Democracy Foreign Policy United States Eastern Europe

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie China

Commentary
Emissary
Trump and Xi Are Angling for Three Years of Stability
But their "principal to principal" model will only be as effective as the political strength of each leader back home.
Damien Ma
Commentary
China Sells Stability Amid American Volatility
U.S. unpredictability has allowed China to capitalize on its positioning as the “responsible great power”. Paradoxically, the more China wins the perception game, the more likely expectations will rise for Beijing to deliver not just words but to demonstrate with its deeds.
Chong Ja Ian
Commentary
Why Vietnam Is Swinging in China’s Direction
Hanoi and Beijing have long treated each other as distant cousins rather than comrades in arms. That might be changing as both sides draw closer to hedge against uncertainty and America’s erratic behavior.
Nguyễn Khắc Giang
Commentary
China’s Energy Security Doesn’t Run Through Hormuz but Through the Electrification of Everything
Across Asia, China is better positioned to withstand energy shocks from the fallout of the Iran war. Its abundant coal capacity can ensure stability in the near term. Yet at the same time, the country’s energy transition away from coal will make it even less vulnerable during the next shock.

Damien Ma
Commentary
Malaysia’s Year as ASEAN Chair: Managing Disorder
Malaysia’s chairmanship sought to fend off short-term challenges while laying the groundwork for minimizing ASEAN’s longer-term exposure to external stresses.
Elina Noor

More Work from Carnegie China

Commentary

Emissary

Trump and Xi Are Angling for Three Years of Stability

But their "principal to principal" model will only be as effective as the political strength of each leader back home.

Damien Ma

Commentary

China Sells Stability Amid American Volatility

U.S. unpredictability has allowed China to capitalize on its positioning as the “responsible great power”. Paradoxically, the more China wins the perception game, the more likely expectations will rise for Beijing to deliver not just words but to demonstrate with its deeds.

Chong Ja Ian

Vietnam's Top Leader To Lam meets with young representatives from China and Vietnam participating in the "Red Study Tours" at the Great Hall of the People on April 15, 2026 in Beijing, China. T

Commentary

Why Vietnam Is Swinging in China’s Direction

Hanoi and Beijing have long treated each other as distant cousins rather than comrades in arms. That might be changing as both sides draw closer to hedge against uncertainty and America’s erratic behavior.

Nguyễn Khắc Giang

Commentary

China’s Energy Security Doesn’t Run Through Hormuz but Through the Electrification of Everything

Across Asia, China is better positioned to withstand energy shocks from the fallout of the Iran war. Its abundant coal capacity can ensure stability in the near term. Yet at the same time, the country’s energy transition away from coal will make it even less vulnerable during the next shock.

Damien Ma

Commentary

Malaysia’s Year as ASEAN Chair: Managing Disorder

Malaysia’s chairmanship sought to fend off short-term challenges while laying the groundwork for minimizing ASEAN’s longer-term exposure to external stresses.

Elina Noor