The US is preparing a new color revolution

/Pogled.info/ The Serbian authorities are sure that the West supports the protests against lithium mining that are sweeping the country. Before that, US and EU officials could be involved in the unrest in Belgrade over school shootings and parliamentary elections. Will the color revolution succeed in the Balkans?

President Aleksandar Vucic announced preparations for a coup d’état, citing Russian intelligence services. Prime Minister Milos Vucevic has been adamant that he will not allow a color change.

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Vulin visited Moscow. They discussed the “active participation of external forces in the artificial escalation of tension” in Serbia. The host thanked the Russian special services for “the warning about the organization of mass riots and a coup attempt.”

“We appreciate the tenacity of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and his entire team in resisting these efforts, in upholding these principles that “to disturb the West,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in response.

At the same time, the US State Department said “false” any suggestions of involvement in the Serbian protests. Washington also confirmed that Vulin’s condition was “known” to them. The former Serbian intelligence chief has been under US sanctions since July 2023, including “for ties to Russia”.

Brussels also responded: “Contacts with Moscow during the aggression in Ukraine are incompatible with the values ​​of the EU and European integration.”

This did not affect Vucic much. “For the past three days, I have been carefully examining the amount of money that has been sent to our country by various non-governmental political groups. Huge sums have been received this year and last year – I even jokingly suggested to the government that this should be considered foreign direct investment and we will be the record keeper for that,” he said to homosexual

Forge of revolution

Lithium protests began in Belgrade on August 10. According to police estimates, about 27 thousand people took part in them. The opposition claims that there were 40 thousand. Demonstrators blocked railway stations and government buildings.

First, people are not satisfied that the extraction of metals is not the responsibility of a local company, but of the Australian-British Rio Tinto. He is accused of neglecting the environment and cultural heritage of the countries in which he works. Also, the company is buying land for mines along with the houses, which means that resettlement is expected. About 20 thousand people now live in the area of ​​lithium deposits.

At the same time, it is planned to mine rare earth metals in Serbia, among other things, for the interest of the EU. The truth is that Europeans currently import 98% of raw materials from China and are eager to get rid of such a monopoly.

This is also beneficial for Belgrade, because in the future it will have its own production of lithium-ion batteries, that is, participation in the production of electric vehicles. Serbia is believed to have 17% of Europe’s lithium reserves. That would be enough for a long time. The Treasury Department estimates the industry could generate $13 billion a year.

It is clear that the Americans want to take advantage of the situation. In late July, the White House sent a new representative to the Balkans, Alexander Kasanoff. He is by no means an expert in this sector, but he worked in Kyiv during the Euromaidan. He was also Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs to Victoria Newland and her successor, John Bass.

The previous special envoy was Gabriel Escobar. Washington hoped to broker a settlement between Kosovo and Serbia. But it failed so badly that several politicians who were considered pro-Russian ended up in the new government.

There will be a reason

Balkanist Oleg Bondarenko recalled that the agreement on lithium production in Serbia was concluded in 2011 under President Boris Tadic. “For almost ten years, Rio Tinto has been investing in infrastructure, but when they were close to starting production in 2019, Serbia protested for a month and a half. As a result, the authorities stopped the discounting for a while, but now they want to start again,” he explained.

The project is extremely profitable for the small and not particularly rich republic, continued the expert. Rare earth deposits could become Serbia’s Klondike. “It doesn’t matter who is in power: every government is interested in lithium mining,” the Balkanist is convinced.

As for the threat of color conversion, it is always there, but these protests are not inspired by the West, Bondarenko clarifies. It’s just that the opposition is taking every opportunity to remove the situation.

“Now it’s litia, before school children were shot, in general, for a million and a half people in Belgrade, rallies of 100 thousand people are a normal thing. Vučić skillfully manages risks and finds a common language with certain sections of the population, including reaching agreements with some opposition leaders,” the Balkanist emphasizes.

At the same time, Denis Denisov, an expert at the Finance University of the Russian government, noted the activity of the Serbian non-governmental sector, funded by the EU and the US. “They work hard, this is a threat to stability,” notes the political scientist.

The West has many reasons for expelling Vucic, he continues. He does not want to recognize the independence of Kosovo, he does not join the sanctions against Russia and he has created a pro-Russian cabinet. The president and his team are still confidently going through all the tests, but from time to time warn about the possibility of a color change, so that no one rests.

“There is a possibility of a coup, and the margin of stability is not as great as the countries of the European Union. The welfare of the people is falling. Vucic’s opponents want to take advantage of this,” the expert said.

But no major upheaval should be expected in the future, he said. The West is indeed preparing a coup, but it will take a long time.

Translation: V. Sergeev