Thursday,April 22nd 1999

Sophisticated Karadzic or Judge Dread

    (this comment is inspired by the article of famous Croatian writer and dissident Slavenka Drakulic. You can see this article here)

    I agree on many things with Slavenka, especially on use of "target" and deliberate manipulation of civic movement which followed. Something, what seemed impossible just a few months ago, happened - Milosevic practically has some kind of civic movement supporting him. That is manifested, among other things, through symbolic takeover of Republic Square in Belgrade, an absolute symbol of anti-Milosevic movement for the past ten years, since more or less every anti-Milosevic protest concentrated around this square.

Sarajevo, my love

    What I can't agree on are comparisons and conclusions on Sarajevo. Karadzic's bombardment was uncontrolled rampage, but NATO bombing only appears as "controlled attacks on strategic targets". NATO would like for everyone to believe the same thing Slavenka believes - that we are being punished as criminals for crimes inspired by Milosevic. Unfortunately, the extent of destruction in this country is telling something quite different.

    Parallels between NATO and Karadzic are numerous and inevitable: Karadzic forced vandal concept of town siege, and NATO forced systematic siege of a country. Everyone attacks as sophisticated as his technical abilities allows him. Someone is gunning for no reason, residential quarters. And someone is systematically gunning civilian objects, proclaimed military by himself. Therefore, all the bridges became deadly threat to NATO (or Kosovo Albanians), no matter that it is, for instance, a city bridge in 400km distant Novi Sad, being attacked at 8pm with extensive amount of traffic on it. Or the bridges to Croatia, which surely won't help Yugoslav Army, and certainly no one will try to escape to that side. Not to mention a passenger train, refugee convoy, bus station and cemetery in Pristina, heating plant in Novi Beograd and cities with no industrial objects like Cuprija and Kursumlija.

    So, aside what the extent of destruction tells, the story is the same as in Sarajevo: all civilians are hostages and they are slowly burying alive! When I say all, I mean it. There is an additional factor of madness on Kosovo: a group armed from somewhere called KLA.

Killing me softly with this bomb

    That they are not targeting us directly is the least the matter. They are doing it because that kind of images are not popular on their television, and not because they like us. That is the reason they attack objects and buildings - they burn in the night and it is spectacular. Nevertheless, they don't have to kill civilians directly, it can be done in a more supple way. Maybe it is even worse to blow up Pancevo chemical plant next to a city of million people. It is not only possible toxication, but the fact that this plant is the main producer of fertilizer. All of us here have become collateral damage (in words of Jamie Shea), because they shatter our every economic potential and it is a big question how long this nation will be able to survive.

    No one here even speaks about Milosevic, there are no political issues, all this are problems for merry times. No one defends him, or wants to defend him. We all hope that defense will hold and the state will function somehow. I really don't know what do all these peacekeepers want from someone whose land they are tearing apart, peace by peace. There is no more time for anything else, except to sustain life. It is a bit shameless to claim, after all those errors, that civilians are not the victims. Maybe they weren't for the first three days, but know it is a different story.

    It is meaningless to observe the "civic indifference" phenomenon with Serbs outside its historical contexts. I consider experimentally proved that Milosevic have never had true nationalist political stand - he kept his popularity by manipulation of social security issue. Serbia is a country with 40% retirees, and in a country like this, social security issue is crucial. By the way, lack of civic consciousness is not a Serbian specialty. In times of great catastrophes, and the split of former Yugoslavia was catastrophe for Serbs, people tend to support unconditionally the governing option, no matter of its righteousness. Symbolic becomes reality, and irrational reasoning foul out rational thought on public stage. Civic consciousness in form of national conscious of which Slavenka speaks, doesn't exist at all since the XIX century, especially not in a war. Serbia - as Slavenka observes - lives in war conditions for the past ten years.

    And to remind ourselves of some facts about Albanians - of course I don't think that my moral obligation towards fellow countrymen ends with a war. It becomes even bigger. This drama reached enormous proportions in this way. But let us not fall for NATO mental trick: we all know that there was not one refugee from Kosovo before March 24th. Why lying to ourselves?

Sophisticated Karadzic

    It is unbelievable that evidently criminal act of aggression of 19 countries on one, is being justified with stupidities as "your president is little Hitler", or "you hate Albanians, don't you" in countries that created civic tradition which kept whole world warm.

    The thing that makes some people in the West triumph, is not the fact that Serbs are being punished for some crimes, but the fact that the West finally acts towards Serbs just like the Serbs acted towards citizens of Sarajevo. They are sophisticated Karadzic's, happy like children for being at his level.

    Alleged Kosovo agreement had ultimate point towards letting foreign troops into the country, to unlimited period of time and without authorization by UN. NATO spoke in language of Karadzic, here and there, give me, or I'll take it myself. Everything that came afterwards is the continuous thought, and if you read Clinton's war speeches, it will be very obvious who little they differ in main points from Karadzic's war speeches ("failure is not an option" or the famous "we have no other alternative"). Even in the degree of latent racism. It is all the same music.

    Finally, before we get a chance to ensure independent research of all events in former Yugoslavia, we have to agree that criminals here have names and faces and that they can be found. No matter what side they come from, there are witnesses, and reconstruction of chain of command is relatively simple. It is the consequence of the fact that in former Yugoslavia fought relatively small number of men in military and paramilitary units. On the contrary of what they say, it can be said that there is predisposition for war criminals to be convicted here, too.

    Now, lets take a look on the other side of story. What is the possibility of anyone in the West to be persecuted for war crimes, which NATO could do, or has already done? Regardless to the guilt of Yugoslavia and its leaders, NATO deserted the principals of international law, and it is quite clear that it won't be accused on any law it has broken.

    Force is a mean absolutely forbidden by international law in communication between states. West entered the "peace talks" preceding NATO intervention from the position of force. Every countries legal system knows the term of "extortion" - if a bully forces you to sign something you don't want, it has no legal value. Victorious forces declared Munich agreement between Germany and Czechoslovakia invalid after WW II, through expert commission. It was because German military threat forced Czechoslovakia's government to give up Sudettes. You could even speculate that Germany made the same media campaign as the USA did today, using minorities issue, but that is not the point. The threat of force is essential to both cases, not even the use of force. For that reason, it was clear that this agreement was not to be legally valid. The way this parallel with Rambouillet "agreement" was bypassed speaks only of that how much the West, especially USA, feel themselves above the situation. And above the law.

    Excuse me, but Karadzic didn't think that he was above the law - maybe out of their reach, but never above the law. Clinton acts as he is the law, and that could only be Judge Dread, and no one else.

DA