Sonja Stojanovic Gajic | University College London (original) (raw)

Papers by Sonja Stojanovic Gajic

This chapter charts the recent history of police reform in Serbia until 2007; detail the evolutio... more This chapter charts the recent history of police reform in Serbia until 2007; detail the evolution from a socialist model of policing to a democratic police that merges Western influences with Serbian police and administrative culture. The main drivers of change within the Serbian police service are analysed, together with the challenges that remain in areas such as police accountability, and the fight against organised crime. Finally, the reform process is placed into its system-wide and regional context before conclusions are presented on the product and the future prospect of the reform process.

Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 2020

Journal of Regional Security, 2019

Deliverable 5.1 is a report on EU conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the Horn of Africa and... more Deliverable 5.1 is a report on EU conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the Horn of Africa and the Western Balkans. It appraises the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy missions individually within and comparatively across both regions.

Security Community Practices in the Western Balkans, 2018

Klopfer, F., Cantwell, D., Hadzic, M. and Stojanovic, S. (eds.) (2012) Almanac on Security Sector Oversight in the Western Balkans. Belgrade: BCSP and DCAF, 2013

In this chapter I present a brief background of the development of the methodology for monitoring... more In this chapter I present a brief background of the development of the methodology for monitoring accountability of security sector, followed by a discussion of the originality of the methodology, key challenges and consequences of its use, discussion of the data collected, and some examples of the measurement framework. The larger aim of this project was to develop a research and advocacy tool for civil society organisations interested in holistically overseeing the security sector in their respective countries. Therefore, the benchmarks for assessing progress in SSR were chosen in accordance with the oversight role of civil society. The methodology was built to reflect key challenges of SSR in countries transitioning to democracy.

Journal of Regional Security, 2019

This article appraises the EU's approach to preventing further in security in the Western Balkans... more This article appraises the EU's approach to preventing further in security in the Western Balkans and the Horn of Africa. The purpose of this endeavour is to determine whether EU efforts meet needs on the ground as well as in Brussels. The article identifies similar sources albeit different degrees of instability across the two regions. It reviews EU strategies and CSDP missions deployed in response and evaluates the effectiveness of two such missions: EULEX Kosovo and EUCAP Nestor/Somalia. The study does not find failures as such in the strategies developed or missions deployed, but it does conclude that while relatively effective from an EU perspective this approach is less effective in providing security on the ground.

Knjiga preporuka Nacionalnog konventa o Evropskoj uniji 2020, 2021

U ovom poglavlju analizirane se reforme u Poglavlju 24 (Pravda, sloboda i bezbednost) u sklopu pr... more U ovom poglavlju analizirane se reforme u Poglavlju 24 (Pravda, sloboda i bezbednost) u sklopu pregovora za članstvo u EU koje su desile tokom 2020. do marta 2021. godine. Prvo je ukratko prikazana specifičnost ovog poglavlja u odnosu na druge oblast pregovora o članstvu u EU, zatim hronologija reformi u Poglavlju 24, pregled stanja u deset potpoglavlja unutar politika EU koje se tiču pravde, bezbednosti i slobode i na kraju ključne aktivnosti Radne grupe NKEU za Poglavlje 24, kao i preporuke.

Najveći napredak je postignut u oblastima od značaja za zemlje članice EU, kao što su migracije, azil i zaštita granica, borba protiv krijumčarenja i trgovine narkoticima na zapadnim tržištima. Srbija je obezbedila zdravstvenu zaštitu migranata i tražilaca azila tokom prvog talasa pandemije COVID-19, uz ograničenje slobode kretanja i prva je zemlja u svetu koja je 2021. godi- ne počela da vakciniše migrante. Takođe, Srbija je potpisala sporazume o saradnji sa glavnim telima za sprovođenje zakona u EU (Evropol, Fronteks, Evrodžast itd), koji će omogućiti još intenzivniju profesionalnu saradnju i razmenu podataka u suprotstavljanju najtežim krivičnim delima i prekograničnim pretnjama. Najmanji napredak postignut je u sprečavanju delovanja organizovanog kriminala i desnih ekstremističkih grupa koje propagiraju nasilje i koje su ga upotrebile protiv migranata.

Novu metodologiju proširenja treba primeniti tako da omogući bolje uvezivanje reformi rasutih u okviru prvog stuba Osnova, a pre svega za dalje usklađivanje politika u poglavljima 23 i 24 i funkcionisanje demokratskih političkih institucija. Imajući u vidu zahtev nove strategije proširenja, da se kandidati za članstvo u EU više politički usklađuju sa EU, potrebno je u većoj meri uskladiti viznu politiku sa EU. Prestati sa zloupotrebom politika za borbu protiv organizovanog kriminala (širenje lažnih vesti) i terorizma za pritiske na delovanje građanskog društva i medija. Pre planiranih izmena Krivičnog zakonika i Zakona o krivičnom postupku radi usklađivanja sa pravnim normama EU u poglavljima 23 i 24, organizovati stručnu analizu i dijalog sa svim zainteresovanim stranama o slabostima i nedostacima krivičnog postupka. Sadržaj ove analize treba da obuhvati i izvlačenje lekcija iz postupanja u konkretnim slučajevima. Pored uključivanja predstavnika tužilaštva, sudova, policije, advokata i visoko-školskih ustanova u Radnu grupu koja se planira na ovu temu, treba organizovati i dijalog sa organizacijama civilnog društva. Osigurati da planirane izmene krivičnog zakonodavstva u Poglavlju 24 usklade vremenski i sadržinski sa izmenama istih zakona planiranim u Pogljavlju 23. Cilj usklađivanja između ova dva poglavlja treba da bude unapređena saradnja policije i tužilaštva, zaštita prava žrtava u krivičnom postupku i izbegavanje parcijalnog menjanja sistemskog zakona bez razmatranja posledica po krivični sistem.

Poglavlje 23: šta nas očekuje? Vodič kroz Izveštaj o skriningu za Poglavlje 23- Pravosuđe i osnovna prava, 2015

U tekstu su navedeni razlozi zbog kojih se EU bavi borbom protiv korupcije i analiza tri elementa... more U tekstu su navedeni razlozi zbog kojih se EU bavi borbom protiv korupcije i analiza tri elementa ove politike unutar poglavlja 23: a) politika borbe protiv korupcije, b) prevencija korupcije, c) represija korupcije, kao i ocena usklađenosti Republike Srbije sa ovom politikom.

The 1325 Scorecard is a tool to evaluate how well the principles of United Nations Security Counc... more The 1325 Scorecard is a tool to evaluate how well the principles of United Nations Security Council Resolution1325 (UNSCR 1325) are implemented within the armed forces. It also provides NATO, NATO member and partner states indications how to improve implementation. Finally, it helps to further standardization and interoperability amongst NATO Allies.
The Scorecard is unique in that it focuses on the integration of the principles of UNSCR 1325 into military institutions and operations, while existing evaluation tools focus on the overall implementation of UNSCR 1325 rather than military operations.
The Scorecard has three main objectives. First, the Scorecard is intended as an assessment and evaluation tool. The Scorecard encompasses a simple set of indicators that evaluate how well or how well NATO member states (and partners) are implementing the principles of UNSCR 1325 in military structures and operations. The indicators are not intended to be comprehensive. Rather, they seek to identify a limited set of critical indicators and benchmarks that provide a picture of a country’s progress toward meeting the objectives of UNSCR 1325 and Bi-SCD 40-1.17 More specifically, the Scorecard measures how well the principles of UNSCR 1325 are integrated into national security policies and operations, and whether there are dedicated accountability mechanisms. At the political level, the Scorecard examines whether there is political will to implement the principles of UNSCR 1325. For example, has a NAP been adopted and are specific resources set aside for implementation?
At the institutional policy and practice level, the Scorecard measures whether gender is institutionalized and mainstreamed, and whether gender perspectives are integrated in all phases of military operations (i.e. planning, execution, and evaluations). In addition, the Scorecard identifies indicators that demonstrate whether all barriers to the active and meaningful participation of women in all aspects of military activities and operations
have been eliminated. It also measures how the military deals with gender-based and sexual violence within their institutions and in their area of operations. Finally, the Scorecard examines whether monitoring and accountability mechanisms are in place and to what extent sex-disaggregated data is collected and lessons
learned captured.
The second objective of the Scorecard is to function as an educational tool that allows NATO member and partner countries to learn from the experiences of other nations. Numerous studies show that there is still little awareness and understanding of UNSCR 1325 and the WPS framework. There is much discussion about gender mainstreaming, but many people continue to equate gender with women and gender mainstreaming
with increasing the number of women in organizations. Similarly, while there is an increasing awareness within military establishments that conflict affects men and women differently, military establishments have a hard time figuring out what this reality means for them in terms of operations and how to convey this to military personnel. By collecting and examining best practices, the 1325 Scorecard becomes a powerful educational tool and helps develop a greater understanding of gender mainstreaming within military structures.
Lastly, the Scorecard facilitates standardization across NATO member and partner states in training, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of UNSCR 1325 and WPS in the context of NATO-led missions and operations.

Knjiga preporuka Nacionalnog konventa o Evropskoj uniji 2019, 2020

U ovom poglavlju analizirane se reforme u Poglavlju 24 (Pravda, sloboda i bezbednost) u sklopu pr... more U ovom poglavlju analizirane se reforme u Poglavlju 24 (Pravda, sloboda i bezbednost) u sklopu pregovora za članstvo u EU koje su desile tokom 2019. godine. Prvo je ukratko prikazana specifičnost ovog poglavlja u odnosu na druge oblast pregovora o članstvu u EU, zatim hronologija reformi u Poglavlju 24, pregled stanja u deset potpoglavlja unutar politika EU koje se tiču pravde, bezbednosti i slobode i na kraju ključne aktivnosti Radne grupe NKEU za Poglavlje 24, kao i preporuke.

Security Community Practices in the Western Balkans, 2018

This chapter provides comparative insights from seven case studies presented in this book: experi... more This chapter provides comparative insights from seven case studies presented in this book: experience of regional cooperation by Albanian diplomats; the armed forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the police services of Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro; and the International Policy Network of the Study Group for Regional Stability in Southeast Europe (RSSEE). The main finding of this study is that security and foreign policy professions practice cooperative security across national borders in line with the models within which they were socialised both as members of older former Yugoslav communities of practice and through participation in new transnational regional networks externally imposed by the EU and NATO. Post-conflict de-securitisation of inter-state relations took place through socialisation via a new categorisation of threats as predominantly non-military and transnational (definition of joint enterprise) and the learning of new competencies in policing, defence and diplomacy through cooperative security practices developed within the EU and NATO (shared repertoire of practices). While much regional cooperation developed as an instrument to join the larger regional communities within the EU and NATO, some communities of practice (Wegner, 1998 and Adler, 2008) developed internally to the Western Balkan region based on common professional habitus and the definition of joint enterprises that sometimes differed from official national foreign and security policy.

Kultura polisa, 2019

U ovom radu predstavljamo osnove prakseografije, kao naučnog pristupa beleženja i interpretacije ... more U ovom radu predstavljamo osnove prakseografije, kao naučnog pristupa beleženja i interpretacije prakse i rekonstrukcije njenih značenja u kontekstu i kroz vreme. U radu su ukratko predstavljena osnovna epistemološka polazišta proučavanja prakse-abduktivno, interpretativno i refleksivno razumevanje znanja. Zatim su prikazani mogući pristupi i metode za prikupljanje i analizu praksi na osnovu uvida iz najznačajnijih dela u međunarodnim odnosima koji koriste teoriju prakse. Metodološki uvidi su dodatno potkrepljeni saznanjima iz empirijskog istraživanja o praksama policajaca u Srbiji u interakciji sa kolegama iz susednih zemalja nakon oružanih sukoba kojima se sekuritizuju i desekuritizuju odnosi unutar regiona. U istraživanju su korišćeni posmatranje sa učestvovanjem, intervjui i narativna analiza dokumenata.

EU-CIVCAP Preventing and Responding to Conflict: Developing EU CIVilian CAPabilities for a sustainable peace, 2018

This report examines the coherence and coordination among international actors (including the EU)... more This report examines the coherence and coordination among international actors (including the EU), and between international and local actors. My contribution is the case study of Kosovo and the lessons for more effective capacity building.

EU-CIVCAP Preventing and Responding to Conflict: Developing EU CIVilian CAPabilities for a sustainable peace , 2017

This paper examines the effectiveness of the EU’s performance in mediation and dialogue by studyi... more This paper examines the effectiveness of the EU’s performance in mediation and dialogue by studying the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue from external and internal perspectives. Based on the academic literature on mediation and local-level dialogue, we suggest an analytical framework for assessing mediation success. Separating the concepts of success into internal and external perspectives allows for a more nuanced and elaborate analysis of the mediation process and its implications at the local level. This analytical framework is applied to both the high-level dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade representing Track I mediation and local-level dialogue in line with Track II mediation.
I have authored case study, which focuses on local-level dialogue in the context of the Belgrade-Pristina talks. An analysis of Track II initiatives demonstrates a lack of EU interest in supporting local-level dialogue – dialogue that is crucial to the successful implementation and durability of peace in the region. The other main finding is that there is a lack of coordination of Track I and Track II dialogue efforts by the EEAS.

Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 2020

Spaces structure interactions between communities in post-conflict settings. They are governed by... more Spaces structure interactions between communities in post-conflict settings. They are governed by particular institutional logics, which can foster boundary building and boundary transgression. This article proposes an extended version of the concept of 'everyday peace' including a focus not only on micro-level individual actorness in social interactions but also on an important mesolevel dimension in the analysis of social behaviour and variation in institutional logics governing spaces where social interactions take place. We apply these concepts to the study of perceptions and practices around bridges in Mitrovica in Kosovo.

Journal of Regional Security, 2021

In this introduction into the special issue on state capture and security sector governance, we a... more In this introduction into the special issue on state capture and security sector governance, we argue that state capture is a relevant concept that helps us understand the current autocratisation and the rise of hybrid regimes. We argue that the extraction of public resources via party patronage, privatization of public administration, judiciary, security institutions, and media are vital for influencing political competition. In the second part of the article, we argue that the concept of state capture brings added value to the understanding of security governance and transformations. We show why the parts or whole of security and justice institutions are the inevitable targets of state capture and what it means to understand the success of security sector reform (SSR). Finally, we examine a range of possible positions of the security sector within the captors and what it means for both the literature on state capture and civil-military relations.

Journal of Regional Security, 2021

Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 2020

Journal of Regional Security, 2019

Security Community Practices in the Western Balkans, 2018

Klopfer, F., Cantwell, D., Hadzic, M. and Stojanovic, S. (eds.) (2012) Almanac on Security Sector Oversight in the Western Balkans. Belgrade: BCSP and DCAF, 2013

Journal of Regional Security, 2019

Knjiga preporuka Nacionalnog konventa o Evropskoj uniji 2020, 2021

Poglavlje 23: šta nas očekuje? Vodič kroz Izveštaj o skriningu za Poglavlje 23- Pravosuđe i osnovna prava, 2015

Knjiga preporuka Nacionalnog konventa o Evropskoj uniji 2019, 2020

U ovom poglavlju analizirane se reforme u Poglavlju 24 (Pravda, sloboda i bezbednost) u sklopu pr... more U ovom poglavlju analizirane se reforme u Poglavlju 24 (Pravda, sloboda i bezbednost) u sklopu pregovora za članstvo u EU koje su desile tokom 2019. godine. Prvo je ukratko prikazana specifičnost ovog poglavlja u odnosu na druge oblast pregovora o članstvu u EU, zatim hronologija reformi u Poglavlju 24, pregled stanja u deset potpoglavlja unutar politika EU koje se tiču pravde, bezbednosti i slobode i na kraju ključne aktivnosti Radne grupe NKEU za Poglavlje 24, kao i preporuke.

Security Community Practices in the Western Balkans, 2018

Kultura polisa, 2019

EU-CIVCAP Preventing and Responding to Conflict: Developing EU CIVilian CAPabilities for a sustainable peace, 2018

EU-CIVCAP Preventing and Responding to Conflict: Developing EU CIVilian CAPabilities for a sustainable peace , 2017

Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 2020

Journal of Regional Security, 2021

EU-CIVCAP Preventing and Responding to Conflict: Developing EU CIVilian CAPabilities for a sustainable peace, 2017

The paper analyses the EU’s capabilities to execute conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the ... more The paper analyses the EU’s capabilities to execute conflict prevention and
peacebuilding in the Western Balkans and the Horn of Africa. It focuses on
capabilities developed under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and whether their application matches up with EU strategies to address security needs on the ground. The purpose of this endeavour is to examine whether the EU’s capabilities are appropriate and sufficient to reach its expectations – and those of others – in preventing conflict and building peace in both regions. This study was the part of Horizon 2020 project EUCiv-Cap https://eu-civcap.net

Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 2020

Spaces structure interactions between communities in post-conflict settings. They are governed by... more Spaces structure interactions between communities in post-conflict settings. They are governed by particular institutional logics, which can foster boundary building and boundary transgression. This article proposes an extended version of the concept of ‘everyday peace’ including a focus not only on micro-level individual actorness in social interactions but also on an important meso-level dimension in the analysis of social behaviour and variation in institutional logics governing spaces where social interactions take place. We apply these concepts to the study of perceptions and practices around bridges in Mitrovica in Kosovo.

Chapter 24 in North Macedonia - Pilot Study, 2021

At the first glance, security sector governance and reform (SSGR) is not part of the EU acquis an... more At the first glance, security sector governance and reform (SSGR) is not part of the EU acquis and EU integration process. The EU has adopted EU-wide strategic framework to support SSR in 2016, but it has not yet been implemented systematically in the accession process. For the EU, security sector reform is understood as: ‘the process of transforming a country’s security system so that it gradually provides individuals and the state with more effective and accountable security in a manner consistent with respect for human rights, democracy, the rule of law and the principles of good governance.’ However, these issues have been only partially addressed and in inconsistent way in the accession process, as it was identified in the Evaluation of EU Support for Security Sector Reform in Enlargement and Neighborhood Countries.

Godišnjak reforme sektora bezbednosti u Srbiji 2012, 2012

U ovoj knjizi analizirani su svi ključni državni i nedržavni akteri u sektoru bezbednosti, kao... more U ovoj knjizi analizirani su svi ključni državni i nedržavni akteri u sektoru bezbednosti, kao i njihove misije i ovlašćenja, te normativni i sistemski status. Za tu svrhu je izrađena i primenjena jedinstvena metodologija za nadgledanje tokova i ocenjivanje dometa reforme sektora bezbednosti u Srbiji sa stanovišta civilnog društva. Razvijeni su, takođe, posebni instrumenti za numeričko iskazivanje napretka u reformi sektora bezbednosti, na osnovu kojih je potom izrađen Indeks reformisanosti celog sektora i/ili njegovih delova. Time je civilno društvo Srbije dobilo teorijsko-metodološku i empirijsku osnovu za praćenje tokova i dometa reforme sektora bezbednosti u Srbiji.

Vodič kroz saradnju u unutrašnjim poslovima u Evropskoj uniji (The Guidebook of Cooperation in Home Affairs in the EU), 2016

Na temu policijske saradnje gotovo da nema izvora na srpskom i hrvatskom jeziku, a i o načinima ... more Na temu policijske saradnje gotovo da nema izvora na srpskom i hrvatskom jeziku, a i o načinima i učinku saradnje se nedovoljno priča u javnosti. Malobrojne prethodne publikacije, pokrivaju više politika unutar Prostora slobode, bezbednosti i pravde (Poglavlje 23 i 24), dok se ovaj Vodič bavi, pre svega, politikama saradnje u unutrašnjim poslovima, čiji su nosioci policije i drugi organi za sprovođenje zakona (carina, službe bezbednosti i sl.). U vodiču je koncept saradnje u unutrašnjim poslovima posmatran kao alat koji se koristi u oblastima borbe protiv organizovanog kriminala, sajber kriminala i terorizma, te su i ove politike iz okvira Prostora slobode, pravde i bezbednosti (Poglavlje 24) obrađene detaljno. U ovoj publikaciji je naglasak na policijskoj saradnji, a druge politike saradnje u unutrašnjim poslovima, poput politike migracija, azila i granica, spomenute su tek kada su u vezi sa policijskom saradnjom. Te politike nisu temeljno obrađene, jer o njima već postoje izvori. Vodič je podeljen u tri veće celine. Prva je namenjena upoznavanju sa okvirom za policijsku saradnju u EU, druga predstavlja ključne instrumente policijske saradnje, a u trećem delu su predstavljene prioritetne oblasti saradnje.

Security Community Practices in the Western Balkans, 2018

This book has set out to study security community building below and beyond the level of states a... more This book has set out to study security community building below and beyond the level of states and international organisations. Across seven chapters, the authors have analysed the dynamics driving the transformation of inter-state relations in the Western Balkans, from conflict to peace, over a period spanning less than two decades since the end of the last armed conflicts in Macedonia, in 2001.
The original feature of this book is its focus on the everyday practices of professionals from key security and foreign policy institutions. These cases are relevant to understanding the transformation of sovereignty as the selected professions traditionally embody the state by defending its territorial integrity (military), maintaining internal order (police) or representing its interests abroad (diplomacy). They are also ‘the face of the state’ (Silver, 1967) to its domestic population (police), potential enemy (military) and external others worth negotiating with (diplomats). Therefore, the selected professional communities are relevant cases for the study of transformation of sovereignty practices in the field of security. The selection of security professionals is also relevant to understanding the transformation of Western Balkan inter-state relations as the majority of the professions examined here have experienced participation in armed conflict against their neighbours. The book also includes the control case of the International Policy Network (IPN) that is composed of members from different professions and different countries both from within and outside the region, who share common values and policy ideas but not necessarily causal belief.

Almanac on Security Sector Oversight in the Western Balkans, 2013

This publication aims to provide an independent research-supported overview on the key achievemen... more This publication aims to provide an independent research-supported overview on the key achievements and weaknesses in the accountability of security sectors of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia and to and what effect this has on the countries’ democratic transition.