American security analyst Ivana Stradner has criticized Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić following his interview with renowned CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria about the funeral of Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb military commander who died while serving a life sentence for genocide and war crimes.
Zakaria recalled Mladić’s legacy, referring to him as the “Butcher of Bosnia,” and questioned why he was given what appeared to be a hero’s funeral in Serbia.
“Why was he given a hero’s funeral in Serbia? I asked Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić that question,” Zakaria wrote in a social media post.
Sharing Zakaria’s post, Stradner described the interview as part of what she characterized as Vučić’s propaganda strategy, accusing the Serbian president of portraying himself as a victim and as a “pillar of stability.”
“What a disgusting interview. More Vučić propaganda, portraying himself as a victim and a ‘pillar of stability,’” Stradner wrote.
She further alleged that Vučić has suppressed pro-Western opposition forces, promoted nationalism and consolidated power while seeking to maintain Western support for his government.
Stradner compared this approach with the strategy of former Serbian President Slobodan Milošević, describing Vučić’s approach as an updated version adapted to the present day.
“It is Milošević’s strategy, adapted to the modern era,” she concluded.
The comments come amid renewed political debate in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina following Mladić’s death and funeral, which drew criticism from international officials and political figures over the public honoring of a convicted war criminal.
