The process of Montenegro's accession to NATO was launched right after the declaration of independence in 2006. The Republic's elites saw entering EU and NATO as main objectives of foreign policy, with any alternative views facing severe counterpropaganda with strong assistance from both Washington and Brussels.
A key role in Montenegro's Atlantic integration is played by the country's current Prime Minister Milo Đukanović, who was first appointed in 1991 at the age of 29. Being labeled by pro-Washington ‘Radio Free Europe’ as «the smartest man in the Balkans» Đukanović is well known for his profound relations with international criminal structures including the Italian mafia. In July 2003, the prosecutor's office in Naples linked Đukanović with an organized crime racket worth billions of euros.
Montenegro's Atlantic turn has sparked strong controversy in society. A variety of conservative, Orthodox, pro-Serbian and pro-Russian groups from the very beginning of the process were speaking out against entering the US-led military block seeing it as a form of civilizational and political treason to rich Montenegrin history and heritage. One of the key personalities in the anti-NATO movement is Orthodox Metropolitan bishop of Montenegro and the Littoral Amphilochius. He has called the Alliance a terrorist organization and stressed that Montenegrin people should not participate in it in any circumstance.
Katehon sources have confirmed the fact that about 500 U.S. special service officers recently came to Montenegro in order to provide political and informational security to the current government and also to attempt to find proof of Russia’s involvement in anti-NATO protests inside the country.
