January 2023
As part of the program Regional Initiative to Combat Disinformation, we present you a new analyses of fake news and disinformation narratives.
RT Balkan reveals: Britain wants to weaken Serbia, they are dragging “Kosovo” into NATO
After the recent bilateral agreement between the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Pristina and the Government of the United Kingdom by which members of the Kosovo Security Forces are assigned to the UK Armed Forces infantry company in Falkland Islands, numerous speculations and false narratives appeared in the Serbian media.
The Falkland Islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory. Argentina invaded the islands in 1982, which caused a two-month war. The Argentine forces were eventually driven out and Britain re-established control. In 2013, majority of the people of the Falkland Islands voted to remain part of the UK’s overseas territories.
The military forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the Falkland Islands do not represent a peacekeeping mission, nor do they represent the forces of the NATO alliance, and the assigned members of the so-called Kosovo Security Forces to the UK infantry company solely represent a form of bilateral cooperation between mutually recognized countries.
Political scientist Aleksandar Pavić states for RT Balkan that the primary goal of Britain is to drag so-called Kosovo into NATO, and the second is to further weaken Serbia and permanently incapacitate it. According to Pavić, this is also the intention of both the USA and Germany.
On the official website of the NATO alliance, we can see that British troops in the Falkland Islands are not on the list of current and past peacekeeping missions. However, as expected, NATO and the West became the target of the Serbian media. The goal of the NATO alliance is not confrontation with other countries. Also, it is important to mention that decisions in the NATO alliance are made by consensus, ie. through the agreement of all member countries. Therefore, the entry of the so-called Kosovo does not currently pose a threat to the Republic of Serbia because the four countries that are members of the NATO alliance do not recognize Kosovo as a state.
The statement that the USA and Germany intend to weaken and permanently incapacitate Serbia is not supported by evidence. Unjustified blaming of the West, despite the efforts of the EU and the USA to reduce tensions and contribute to the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, has a negative impact on the formation of public opinion and attitudes.
Aleksandar Pavić adds that “Every inch that it can expand on is a positive thing for NATO. So a kilometer, a kilometer, it is a gain because NATO’s reputation in Ukraine is collapsing and they will grasp to small things so that they could raise their reputation and show that they are still relevant and powerful. This is part of that hybrid war and reputation war. There is simply no choice of means, if they can make big steps, they will. If they can’t make big steps, a small step is enough for them.”
NATO is not directly involved in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, and thus the “reputation” and “power” of the NATO alliance has not been damaged. NATO forces are certainly not present on the front lines. The member states of this political-military organization provide military aid to Ukraine solely to enable it to defend itself against Russian aggression, although they are not involved in direct fighting.