United against “The Horsemen of the Apocalypse” and “The Chessmen of the Devil”. The Greek–Serbian Friendship during the 1999 NATO Intervention in Yugoslavia

Abstract

The notion of a Greek–Serbian friendship as a traditional bond evolved in the public discourse of both Greece and Serbia during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. Based on alleged commonalities, feelings of threat and experiences of marginalisation, the sentiment of a special kind of solidarity and proximity between the two nations gained traction, especially in Greece. This holds particularly true during the 1999 NATO intervention in Yugoslavia. The Greek public vehemently opposed the bombing, which was interpreted as an unjustified war against the Serbian people. Both Greece and Serbia were perceived as “underdogs” in the “machinations of the Great Powers”. The article investigates the phenomenon of Greek–Serbian friendship against the background of the 1999 NATO intervention, focussing particularly on the strong anti-Western sentiments that mobilised the Greek public at the end of the 1990s.