In Serbia, where the legacies of war, austerity, and geopolitical pressure are deeply intertwined, a new frontline of conflict has emerged. Corporations and global powers are competing for control of lithium, gold, and other ‘critical raw materials,’ transforming large portions of the country into zones of neo-colonial extraction. The ‘green transition’ is merely a facade for the expansion of industries that fuel automobile production and the military-industrial complex. The mass mobilizations of the past year have revealed a broader struggle against the erosion of democracy in a region that is still recovering from the Yugoslav Wars (1991-2001). In her contribution to the “Pluriverse of Peace” series, Iskra Krstić explores how environmental movements challenge extractivism as a form of violence and advocate for ecological sovereignty as a prerequisite for peace.
The video was created during the “Mining is War” workshop, which took place from October 16 to 18, 2025, at the “Pluriverse of Peace” conference in Berlin.