Wednesday, May 26th, 1999

Reticence to confront Serb nationalism

    Q: Many of us are aware that the coverage of those wars was one sides and has intentionally demonized the Serbian people. It does seem to be incontrovertible that while atrocities were committed on all sides that Serb forces were not entirely innocent victims. Given the fact that the opposition to the current war both in Europe and the US is composed mostly of people who feel that war is seldom if ever justified, and who have opposed their own governments war crimes and racist policies how are those of us in the anti war movement in the NATO countries to deal with this. It seems to us that not all the dirty work was done by Milosovic, Arkan and Mladic -- that many many people participated in atrocities. It looks to us that with the exception of groups like the "women in black" that these acts are seldom condemned -- even during the pro democracy demonstrations of 1996-97 seemingly so as not to alienate ultra nationalist elements in those protests. This disquiets those who support your cause.
The western press has been unfair to Serbia. However, this appears at least partly to be due to the persistent Serbian neglect of or ineptness at public relations and not managing news for foreign consumption so that atrocities against Serbs got the coverage they deserved. The attitude seems to be. "We are Serbs and you who are not will never understand." This attitude is understandable in a historical context -- but it badly serves those who would like to be seen in the mainstream of European culture. If Serbia wants to be European it should be willing to play by European rules and to try to explain itself to those of us who would like to understand, and to realize that in the current environment what happens on battlefields is of no more significance, less sometimes, than what appears on world TV, and to make your case to the world without resorting to the image of Serbs as eternal victims who are always more sinned against than sinning -- a perspective which prevents anyone from escaping the cycle of violence that is seems so difficult to escape in the Balkans.
I do not mean for this to be an article but a question. How are we in the NATO West (or the non NATO West for that matter) to deal with what seems to be a reticence to confront Serb nationalism for what it is and to move forward. Milosevic is more than simply anti-democratic. He is also, it would seem, a war criminal. Both seem important to us, not only his failure to extend the benefits of democracy to the citizens of Serbian. The West wonders whether a democratic Serbia would be any less devoted to the cause of ethnically based nationalism and more concerned for the equal treatment of and an end to discrimination against non Serbs in Yugoslav territory -- which obviously includes Albanian and Romany populations.
End War. Open all Borders.

Tom, yahoo.com

    The question of yours is quite long indeed, therefore I'll try to pull the pure questions out. Firstly, talking about the condemnation of Milosevic's sick policy, including the chauvinistic moves of his, the facts are quite the opposite - all the NGOs and opposition parties have been strongly fighting against him and his moves throughout the last 10 years.

    As for the Kosovo issue particularly, one should remember the Anti War Campaign (ARK - Anti Ratna Kampanja in Serbian), started in '98, when the Kosovo crisis began expanding and becoming more and more dangerous. The activists of ARK were trying to explain the facts to the people.

    All the protests and movements held against Milosevic and the present regime to date were against his policy as well, including the policy of wars that suits noone but him, especially not to us in here, that are directly jeopardized by it.

    The main proofs of our sacrifices during the fights are the welts and bruises on our back, the ones we earned in the regime's oppressions. Unfortunately, even the graves, too. We felt all kind of oppressions during those years. Milosevic's weapons are media and force - police. He had been using the police whenever he could. During the demonstrations on 9. of March 1991. two people were killed, a lot were brutally beaten and arrested...

    The activists of Anti War Campaign had been arrested and mistreated for hundreds of times... We did not have much of support in these days from the West, it has to be stressed.

    OTPOR (the Resistance) movement started in June 1998. We had a lot of successful actions from that time on. One of our activists was brutally beaten just in front of his house by "unknown" group of people. His neighbours were the one to prevent something worse to happen. The other one of our activists was arrested and kept in prison for 24 hours without a single explanation and statement. He felt various sufferings in these 24 hours...

    During the civil protests 96/97, while more than 200 000 people were demonstrating on the streets in each town all around Serbia every day for three months, god knows how many times we've been brutally beaten, arrested, tortured... Two men were killed on the streets in those days as well, thousands were badly injured...

    Even then, every single Albanian victim was deeply regretted, and caused the revolt to grow. In those days one Albanian teacher had been beaten to death by the Serbian police on Kosovo. Due to that, 200.000 people made a silence minute in the middle of Belgrade, during the protest day.

    Finally, we all have friends of various nationalities, including the Albanians. Not to forget - the Serbs make just 33% of all the Yugoslav population. The rest are of some other among dozen of nationalities living in Serbia. We are the once that have been living together for many of years. We are the ones that feel the pain. None but we do.

    Secondly, the other part of your text refers mostly to the following view made by the Serbs - "the image of the Serbs as eternal victims who are always more sinned against than sinning". There, I have to agree with you that an attempt for making the image is present. Still, it is important to emphasize - that image is being forced by Serbian regime and its media!

    That image is being forced from inside Serbia and noticed outside Serbia during the last 10 years only, if I'm right. That picture appeared with a first conflict produced on Balkan in the recent history.

    Somehow the time of that image being forced corresponds the time of Milosevic's reign. That is the pure point! He is the one that needs that picture for approving his atrocities toward his own citizens. He is the one using that dirty trick for convincing the Serbs there is a great conspiracy of the West toward Serbia. After all - the West gives it's best to prove his claims by bombing the Serbs, not him.

    Thereby we come to the second phrase quoted by you: "We are the Serbs and you who are not will never understand." I would rather put it this way: "We are the Serbs and you who are not have never tried to understand our problems."

    The problem of western countries here is that they have never made many efforts for acquainting with the complex situation of Serbia of these years. The obvious proof of the statement is that the only view coming from Serbia into the West is - the one made by the Serbian regime! The one mentioned above, concerning "the Serbs being sinned against". Some other opinions such as the ones of the Other Voices Team or likewise were hardly attainable for the common people world wide.

    The fact is the world leaders have never invested much in Serbian opposition. They were never interested in presenting some other views from Serbia to its own publicity. For what ever reason it have not been done - either because the West was not interested in the situation in here, or because the western governments were content with Milosevic carrying out all of their general requests and interests, the Serbs have been publicly identified with Milosevic.

    Therefore, the western publicity has never been acquainted with the real situation in here, and was never interested in preventing the wars rather than stopping them. They've never thought of uniting with the opponents of Milosevic inside Serbia for getting rid of him. They've never thought we in here and they over there should be on the same side, since we have the same enemy - Milosevic.

    The western publicity had been silent until the war started. And than the fever appeared - "how to stop him"? The ignorance of theirs was the main cause of the tragic moves they supported. The Serbs are being punished for what Milosevic has been doing.