From Calls to “Calm Down” to Riding with Vučić: What Influence Does U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill Have on Domestic Politics in Serbia?
AMO
/ Ed. 29. 1. 2025
As blockades occur in the streets of Serbia and at universities in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, and Kragujevac following the death of 15 citizens caused by a collapsed shelter at the Novi Sad Railway Station, as well as the detentions and beatings of citizens protesting to express their dissatisfaction, U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill and his influence on daily politics have once again come under public scrutiny.
During the night of December 19–20, activists of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) were putting up posters accusing Dragan Đilas, leader of the opposition Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP), of embezzling state funds. While they were doing so, Đilas and several SSP members encountered them, leading to a physical attack by the SNS activists. The next morning, the SNS accused Đilas of instigating the conflict.
Hill chose not to comment on the incident itself but emphasized that “people in politics” should “calm down a bit.”
Shortly afterward, national television cameras captured numerous officials from the current government, along with Christopher Hill, attending the opening of a section of the Morava Corridor, a project carried out by the U.S.-Turkish consortium Bechtel-Enka in collaboration with the Serbian government.
His presence at the event, at a time when students were blockading and the country’s political stability was in question, drew mixed reactions from the public.
The article by Nina Čolić was originaly published with the support of the project Enhancing the Capacities of Serbian Investigative Journalists in Mapping Foreign Influence in Serbia by Danas. You can read the original version in Serbian here.
