Sunday, April 18th, 1999.

Choosing Between Democracy and State

    Today is my mother's birthday. It used to be very happy day in our family. This birthday she spent crying. My father got the "invitation" and tomorrow he has to go to Kosovo as a soldier. I'll probably have to go to Krusevac (city in central Serbia where my parents live) 'cause otherwise, mother would stay alone. But question is for how long I'll stay there or here, since the crisis is turbulenting and it seems that we'll have very big and bloody war at region, and that we'll all have to participate in army.

    My father is ex-communist leader from that region who didn't want to follow Milosevic's politics, and who is for already ten years out of "political sphere". But due to great respect that he still enjoys between ordinary people, our family has suffered a lot from this regime during this decade. However, this time neither he, nor me, and nor anybody here does not have any choice. Even if somebody would like to try to oppose Serbian official policy at the moment it wouldn't be possible. But beside that, and beside our huge unsatisfaction with Milosevic's regime, almost 100% of people here thinks that the first and primary goal at the moment is defending the country. I'll try to explain to you why is it so.

    It is very interesting how the official goals and aims of NATO's action are changing, and increasing. From the early aim of "preventing humanitarian catastrophe", and "protecting human rights of Kosovo Albanians", we got "forcing Milosevic to sign Paris version of Rambouillet agreement", and then " destruction of Milosevic's military power, which has to prevent him from leading any war in the future". 27 days after the beginning, NATO is obviously unsatisfied with results of action . It seems that the fundamental reason for continuing aggression is "saving credibility and future of NATO". After humiliating hundreds of thousands of Albanian refugees and especially after killing more than 70 of them, it's absolutely clear that they are treated just as instruments for NATO aims in region. In the meantime horrible propaganda war and demonizing of Serbs on racist basis is continuing (couple a days ago some journalist at BBC asked Serbian prince Alexandar several times "Are you ashamed of being Serb?"). All that is permanently turning public opinion to the strong demands for sending ground troops. Although western officials are permanently denying that possibility, all the information and analyses are speaking opposite: preparations of that intervention are on a way. But, it's becoming very clear that this intervention will not take place only at Kosovo. NATO generals are absolutely aware that it would be tragically disaster for their soldiers. One option is to send numerous UCK forces to Kosovo, for the beginning and than to involve NATO troops as well. But much more certain is screenplay for the invasion from Hungary, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and from Albania and Macedonia. Preparations for that are getting bigger and stronger. As the explanation and justification for that action we'll get NATO's claim that they want to democratize our country and help us to get rid of Milosevic. What are they really doing?

    1) Montenegro. Since the beginnings of aggression, there were plenty misinformation and speculations produced by western media, about "Milosevic's intention to unconstitutionally change Djukanovic, which might be prevented only by possible secession of Montenegro". We may even say that President of Montenegro, Mr. Djukanovic was encouraged to take that step, . NATO air crafts and SFOR troops(?) almost physically separated Montenegro from Serbia by destroying plenty bridges, and Beograd-Bar railway.

    2) Vojvodina. Danube is dividing Vojvodina into two parts: smaller one (Srem) which is near the central Serbia, and bigger one (Backa and Banat) which is close to Hungary and Romania. Almost all the bridges on Danube are destroyed, and very interesting and indicative is fact that only in Vojvodina NATO planes were dropping flyers in which they call for resistance to Milosevic.

    3) Kosovo. No need to explain real NATO aims there after the Paris negotiation: secession of Kosovo from Yugoslavia after three years. When you take a look at the map you'll see that according to this plan Yugoslavia will be reduced to central Serbia+Srem. And even that part would be treated like Republika Srpska in Bosnia, which means as protectorate, which is actually occupation. (we don't see that Serbs in Republika Srpska are too happy with their lives). This is how the most of people see the situation here(although you'll not see this screenplay at National Television). Americans didn't succeeded to assure us in their good intentions. Opposite is the case. If they wanted democratization of Serbia, they could help opposition ,and they could find ways to force Albanians to participate in our social and political life, and by political means to win autonomy and good position in it, and to help all of us to democratize Yugoslavia. But they didn't want it. Just like Albanian leaders didn't want it , and just like Milosevic didn't want it. They all needed open conflict which they could use for their particular goals.

    All that means that we don't trust to NATO/Americans when they speak that they want to help us to "get rid of our nondemocratic dictator" and to democratize our country. We think that they want to destroy, and disintegrate our state. At the moment Serbs think on something which is common place in political theory: if you have a state you can maybe democratize it; if you lose it, you are losing self-determination, which means you are losing your freedom. And what would democracy mean if it's controlled and enforced selectively by someone to whom you don't trust, and who don't have any legitimate right to do it (we are talking about NATO, regional, self-proclaimed policeman, not about United Nations) if you don't have freedom, and self-ruling? And don't forget that Serbs got their state and liberty in 19.th century with very strong efforts, and kept it in this century with tragically number of them who lost their lives. And they will give everything to keep it before they give it up to bombing-humanitarians and depleted-uranium-democrats

    Although since the beginning of this dirty war I almost lost trust in Reason, the information I got today (about France veto at targeting some objects like power stations which would mean losing electricity for many people in region (Macedonians too...)) gave me little hope that this apocalyptic screenplay will be escaped, and that Europe will find strength and sense to stop American monsters. That somebody will stop all this mass before we get vast regional catastrophe, in which not only Albanians and Serbs would lose their lives but many Europeans and Americans as well. I hope that people will somehow realize that in this way catastrophe is only increasing and it will soon come to the limits when nobody can control it. And I still hope that all the people in this region will return to their homes: Albanians, NATO soldiers, Serbs and my father too.

Misha

    P.S. Ecological aspect of this catastrophe is obviously something in which these democrats are not interested too much. But we are. And Europe should be, because ammoniac and other toxic materials which are spreading all over this region as a consequence of NATO bombing of Pancevo last night, can't be prevented from spreading over neighbor and other countries.