Serbian economic diplomacy in the context of historical change and the global crisis

This article offers an overview of Serbian economic diplomacy, its aims, instruments and effects through the historical context of the complex foreign-policy and internal realities that were characteristic of the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the third millennium. The complex realities of the 1990s (the disintegration of the former SFRY, wars in the region, international sanctions, bombing, the collapse in GDP, fall in living standards and high unemployment, the collapse of the technical equipment industrial sector, unprecedented rates of inflation, among others) resulted in a thorough understanding of economic diplomacy. The research undertaken during this period point to the enormous, long-term economic price paid due to the conflict, the lack of clear definition concerning national foreign economy interests, the neglect of national companies' interests in anemic economic conditions, and the resulting breakdown of economic diplomacy.