Cultures of Victory and the Political Consequences of Foundational Legitimacy in Croatia and Kosovo

Abstract

What are the consequences of a culture of victory in countries undergoing new state formation and democratic transition? In this article, we examine ‘foundational legitimacy,’ or a hegemonic narrative about the way in which a new state was created, and the role particular groups played in its creation. We argue that the way in which victory is institutionalized can pose a grave threat to the democratic project. If reconciliation and democratization depend of integrating losers into the new order and recognizing plural narratives of state formation, then exclusivist narratives based on foundational legitimacy pose a direct challenge to both. We focus on two Yugoslav successor states, Kosovo and Croatia. For both cases, we trace how appeals to ‘foundational legitimacy’ by groups that claim a leading role in the struggle for independence fostered a politics of exclusion, which ran counter to both the spirit of democracy. In Croatia, foundational legitimacy was partly challenged after 2000 by reformist political forces, though more recently it has re-appeared in political life. In Kosovo, foundational legitimacy was never successfully challenged and continues to shape political dynamics to the present day.

“Ready for the Homeland” in Croatian media: Commemorations, victory, and foundation

“…In post-conflict societies the so-called "cultures of victory" can be divisive, which is prominent in the context of Croatia. As Boduszyński and Pavlaković (2019: 2) write, this is because "the nature of 'victory' in a war of secession leading to independence is destined to play a central role in the creation of narratives about a new state's birth". What takes place in turn is further solidification of victory narratives as key parts of foundational myths, school curricula, memorials, and related remembrance practices.…”

A Protest, Coup d’État, or Internal Party Power Struggle

“…Other researchers touched upon or used different veteran protests as case studies to emphasise different features of the veteran movement. Boduszyński and Pavlaković (2019) analysed different protest periods from the early 2000s on to show how veteran associations and groups took part in the creation of Croatia's hegemonic narrative about the 1990s War. Soldić (2009) analysed veteran protest periods to portray -among other things -their alienation from Croatian society and aligning with the political ambitions of HDZ, at the expense of creating a negative public image.…”

The Kosovo war and the Washington Post: Bombings and alignments

“… 8. In ‘the dominant narrative of the past in Kosovo’, the KLA ‘is understood as a liberation force that fought for justice and independence from decades of brutal Serbian oppression’ (Subotić, 2014: 171; see also Hehir, 2019: 281). Boduszyński and Pavlaković (2019: 821) argue that ‘the culture of victory has meant state capture by a group of former rebel fighters who converted their liberation role into political and economic power.’ …”