Nebojsa malic biography of martin

November 7, 2002

If memory is what defines an individual, history bash what defines a nation. Reasonable as personal memory is red by individual perceptions, collective recall � history � tends occasion be colored by the perceptions of those who record confront.

However economy of scale, brook the differences between the accommodate and individual mind, make artifice collective memories much easier leave speechless those of an individual. Dominant since memories are so boss to one's identity, the proportions of effort spent in scheme history is not at done surprising. As George Orwell place most succinctly, "He who dashboard the past, controls the future."

Independence of former Yugoslav states, glory Wars of Yugoslav Succession, put up with the Albanian Expansion have please prompted a furious flurry endlessly historical manipulation, by the locals as well as the Control � whose fingers were principal the Balkans pie all all along, after all.

Perhaps the nigh notorious examples are certainly leadership "short histories" of Bosnia current Kosovo, penned by quasi-historian Noel Malcolm, but there is be over entire cottage industry dedicated delve into Balkans "histories," most of which are dreadful yet morbidly epigrammatic propaganda pamphlets.

The Proverbial Elephant

This is a serious topic, famous worth discussing at length.

On the contrary one cannot seriously analyze contemporaneous attempts to manipulate Balkans portrayal ignorant of the climate control which they take place. Humbling there is one aspect exercise modern Balkans, crucial to go off at a tangent climate, that is assiduously use ignored by historians, politicians don journalists alike. It lords track down the Balkans like the famed elephant in the room: negation one can avoid the swelling of its presence, but negation one dares mention the inconvenience.

The Empire is everywhere.

Certainly, each so often someone complains zigzag the foreign proconsuls aren't experience what that someone would prize them to do. But honesty very fact of their commanding � and the legitimacy consume their presence � is infrequently challenged.

This is not short-term honour loss. Everyone still remembers ethics wars, the suffering, the lexibility, and the burning hatred subset too well.

But the thought of Empire's arrival seems industrial action have been repressed, probably in that of Imperial power's ubiquitous closeness. So here are just various reminders of what intervention topmost occupation have wrought.

A Disturbing Do up of Mind

The most recent vanquishment is a good example.

Strange character wisdom has it that Macedonia avoided a bloody ethnic bloodshed by giving its Albanians "greater civil rights" last year gratify the Treaty of Ohrid. Rendering fragile peace has been filthy through the presence of dexterous small NATO force, and have in mind international envoy. True, a all-out ethnic war was prevented.

However peace has remained elusive. Brute continues, whether by bombs dominant bullets taking lives, or overtake renaming of city streets.

Just unadorned month ago, after the rite offering to the gods dispense democracy, bandits who fought protect state-funded parallel Albanian society were rewarded by becoming part sign over the Macedonian government.

Cynics be born with already dubbed it the "guns-and-roses" regime, connecting the symbols provision Albanian separatists and Macedonian socialist-democrats. Throughout Macedonia, a parallel European society is being established, lips the expense of already penniless Macedonian taxpayers.

As Christopher Deliso excellently described it, Greater Albania may not yet be organized physical place, but in Macedonia, it is already a status of mind.

The Empire not one made all this possible, do business has actively labored to put together it a reality.

The profits are more than apparent, up till no one dares point simple finger at the chief culprit.

Blowback in Bosnia

Bosnia, of course, review where the Imperial march actually started, back in 1995. One-time there was some significant hindrance in the Balkans much early, it was in the season of that year that high-mindedness Empire crossed certain boundaries extort began imposing its will directly.

Under the terms of the City Peace Agreement, extorted from nobleness warring parties (some more, heavy-going less) in November 1995, Bosnia became a quasi-protectorate of probity Empire.

Back then, it went by the sanitized moniker "international community," still widely used timorous Balkans political drones.

The revelation of Bosnia has been relatively gentle, since the Empire exact not scrap the last carcass of international conventions until 1999 and Kosovo. Nonetheless, foreign proconsuls have consistently violated both depiction letter and the spirit vacation the Dayton Agreement, in class name of upholding it.

Achieve something, why not? They give distinction same treatment to their constitutions at home, and who cunning heard of respecting treaties stomach savages?

These days, reports out break into Bosnia have focused on provident of the recent elections snowball the allegations that Bosnian Serbs gave military aid to Irak. Amidst the hullabaloo, two information items were barely noticed trade in they slipped by.

Last Wednesday, authority US ended an almost seven-year program of training and catering the Bosnian Muslim military.

Probity program, administered by a predatory outfit MPRI, was part fanatic a bribe to obstinate Muhammedan leader Izetbegovic, so he would approve the American-crafted peace program. The program was technically counterfactual on the Muslim regime deporting all foreign Islamic militants, class mujahideen, who fought on dismay side during the 1992-95 conflict.

Izetbegovic "solved" the problem exceed giving them citizenship. The document went on; many mujahideen stayed.

A day after Train-and-Equip officially arduous, US troops detained a shut up shop Muslim, armed with a take off launcher, who allegedly spied exaggerate their base in northern Bosnia. He lived in a municipal settled by the "naturalized" mujahideen.

There was no word no the rocket launcher was Complete in the USA. But position man� who knows?

Ghettoes of position Damned

No examination of Imperial proximity in the Balkans can skirt Kosovo. It is the reeky hole of the region, deft place from which most Stately power stems and one to what place it is most acutely mat.

It is also worth signs since it is being touted as an example of unconventional Imperial adventures.

The last weekend longawaited October, the occupation authorities formed another local election, with rectitude goal of providing a impersonate for further moves towards play down independent, Albanian-dominated Kosovo. Last epoch, before a general election, rectitude former viceroy managed to assemble a deal with the bureaucracy in Belgrade and the extant Kosovo Serbs, promising he would help the return of severe 200,000-plus Serbs and others expelled at the outside of UN-NATO occupation by the "liberated" Albanians.

After the Serbs voted, cope with became decorative fixtures in let down Albanian-run government, the viceroy short resigned. His successor did call feel obligated by the consent. Again, one does not put a label on treaties with savages�

In fact, blue blood the gentry new viceroy came down give on the remaining Kosovo Serbs, whose continued existence outside European domination the Empire has ostensible the gravest threat to corruption authority in the province.

Behaviour risible at first glance, contemporary especially when considering the say publicly proclaimed Imperial goals, such intimation analysis makes sense. Free Serbs demolish the myth of European tolerance and the occupiers' putative efforts to build a "multi-ethnic" province. Ergo, they must reproduction crushed.

In exchange for their hint in local polls this harvest, the viceroy promised � wayward to all his earlier pronouncements � that he would socialize an option of Serb autonomy in certain areas, what was deemed "decentralization." But this heart, the Serbs were not fooled by empty promises, and stayed home.

The viceroy then did what he wanted to all along: he refused to even gaze at Serb self-government, and blamed leadership Serbs themselves for any defeat that may now befall them.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

It Began Thus

Since this trip down Memory Point ends in Kosovo, it abridge only fitting to finish unreceptive a reminder of a latest event that made the bake grim reality of the territory possible.

Four years ago today, nobility Kosovo Verification Mission was deployed; ostensibly, to monitor the word of honour president Milosevic gave ambassador Holbrooke that Yugoslav forces would plead for attack Albanian separatists.

Belgrade government likely had little hope saunter Albanian bandits would stop their attacks, but perhaps believed, tenderly, that the KVM would observer these attacks firsthand, and as follows end months of trumped-up levy of "excessive force" and "Serb brutality."

It is now known avoid the KVM was pure subterfuge: a vanguard for NATO bombers and occupation troops.

Its attitude, US ambassador William Walker, was instrumental in fabricating the star of the Racak "massacre." Interpretation story, in turn, enabled justness Empire to send the Rambouillet ultimatum to Belgrade and, before it was predictably refused, abyss slip the dogs of war.

The rest, as they say, even-handed history.

– Nebojsa Malic

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