Abstract
Like many other peoples throughout Europe, the Serbs form a community united by a common history and a common culture. Serbs feel specifically united by their historical sufferings, mainly the Ottoman rule until the 19th century and the persecution by the Croatian Usta'e during World War Two. As such, this united community suffered from two issues: on the one hand it has long been part of greater entities where it was not sovereign (Ottoman Empire, Yugoslav Republic), and on the other hand, its people expanded beyond its state boundaries, putting Serbs in a position of minority is other states. In these circumstances, the Serbian community may feel deprived of its rights and may see its ethnic identity as an essential reason for that. In this regard, though the identity may not be a relevant factor to explain or improve the Serbian situation, this issue just has to be raised for the debate and the political context to evolve towards ethnic issues. This issue may be purely manipulated by the elite to keep other issues that might jeopardize their domination, away from political debate (reforms).
