Per le puntate precedenti vedasi:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/1434

Segnalazioni e traduzioni di Olga D., da Parigi;
sa francuskog prevela Olga D. u Parisu


=====================================
QUINTA PUNTATA: IL VIAGGIO A BELGRADO
=====================================

Lo scorso 14 dicembre Bernard-Henri Levy si e' autoinvitato
a Belgrado per presentare il suo ultimo documentario propagandistico
"Bosna", nel quale si insiste con la tesi che la guerra fratricida
in Bosnia sia stata una guerra di aggressione dei sanguinari serbi
contro il resto del mondo. Ma a Belgrado Bernard-Henri Levy e' rimasto
solo poche ore. Dopo avere istericamente ripetuto "Io non
sono vostro nemico! Io sono nemico di Milosevic!", il personaggio
e' scappato improvvisamente, ed appena rientrato a Parigi si e'
dichiarato "deluso per il mancato linciaggio".

Nei suoi ultimi articoli sulla stampa francese Bernard-Henri Levy
ha paragonato la Belgrado di oggi a Berlino dopo la sconfitta dei
nazisti - che, fa notare, non si rassegnavano alla sconfitta. In
questi articoli non mancano nemmeno i raffronti tra serbi e talebani...

Bernar Anri Levi iznenada napustio Beograd | 10:04 | Izvor: B92

Beograd -- Kontraverzni francuski filozof Bernar Anri Levi, koji
je na sopstvenu inicijativu dosao u beograd kako bi
ucestvovao na tribini koju B92 organizuje u cetvrtak u REX-u, nakon
prikazivanja njegovog filma "Bosna" otputovao je
iznenada iz Beograda, javlja Radio B92. Levi nije precizirao zasto
odjednom odlazi iz Beograda, vec je samo rekao da ima
neodlozne obaveze u Parizu. Inace, u njegovom filmu, glavni krivci
za rat u Bosni, su Srbi. (...)


====================================================
SESTA PUNTATA: "LUI" CI SPIEGA CHE COSA PENSIAMO NOI
====================================================

http://www.samizdat.net/acrimed/journalismes/international/usaguerre004.html

Dalla bacheca elettronica dell'ACRIMED (ACtion - CRitique - MEDias).
Acrimed, oltre ad essere un luogo d'azione critica sui media, e' anche
luogo di formazione per giornalisti.
Nel testo "BHL" ed "IO-BHL" sta sempre per "Bernard-Henry Lévy".


Bernard-Henry Lévy pensa per noi ... (24/12/2001)


Non disponendo che dei suoi Bloc-notes settimanali su "Le Point" per
esprimere il proprio IO, BHL si è visto costretto a consacrare il
numero del 21 dicembre 2001 alla promozione del suo film sulla Bosnia,
che ha avuto luogo la settimana precedente, il 14 dicembre, a Belgrado.
Il pezzo s'intitola molto sobriamente: <<"BOSNA" in Serbia>>.

Non potendo rassegnarsi a confidare le impressioni del proprio IO
solo al giornale che lo ospita settimanalmente, BHL si è visto
costretto a pubblicare (insieme a Gilles Hertzog, co-sceneggiatore
del film) una pagina sullo stesso soggetto il 22 dicembre su
"Libération". Il pezzo si intitola questa volta meno sobriamente:
<<"Bosna" vista da Belgrado, ossia: La psicoanalisi serba>>.

L'IO-BHL, pero', appartiene ad un "noi" compiutamente americano. E
visto che noi siam tutti Americani - dopo che "Le Monde" l'ha
proclamato il 21 dicembre 2001 - BHL ha confidato a "Le Monde" quello
che "noi" (cioe' IO-BHL) pensa. Il pezzo s'intitola modestamente:
<<Quello che abbiamo imparato dall'11 settembre>>.

Estratto dalla lezione (la quale è da noi religiosamente custodita
per il giorno in cui dovesse cadere in oblio):

<<Questi "ottusi" americani sono stati capaci in soli 100 giorni di
mobilitare una armata; d'inviarla a 10 000 km di distanza, in un
paese del quale non sapevano quasi nulla; di forgiare una coalizione
efficiente; di ripensare in tutta urgenza la propria diplomazia, come
pure la dottrina difensiva che fino a quel momento era limitata allo
scudo antimissile; di riformare i servizi segreti; di rafforzare il
fronte interno minacciato da nuovi attacchi; di cambiare il loro punto
di vista; di fare uno strappo coll'ideologia della guerra senza vittime;
e di vincerla questa guerra, facendo in tutto qualche centinaio di
morti, al massimo mille vittime tra i civili... meglio di cosi'!>>

Che testo magnifico! Bello come una bomba...rdiere!


===

On, "Ja-BHL", misli za nas

Ovaj satiricni prilog preuzeli smo pod istim naslovom iz elektronskog
izloga ACRIMED-a, (ACtion CRItique MEDias) Pariskog Centa za
novinarstvo i kriticku analizu medija koji okuplja najbolje mislioce
Francuske danas i, kao sto vidimo, bavi se neizbezno "novim filozofima"
tipa BHL.
Na adresi Akrimeda mozete redovno listati tematski razvrstan i
medioloski obradjen pregled vodecih francuskih medija:

http://www.samizdat.net/acrimed/journalismes/international/usaguerre004.html

24. decembra 2001.
Ja-BHL misli za nas

"Ja-BHL, nemajuci drugog prostora da se izrazi sem redovne nedeljne
rubrike u "L' Pua" (Le Point), bese prinudjen da svoju rubriku
"Blok-not" iz 21. decembra 2001. posveti prikazivanju svog filma o
Bosni, u Beogradu 14 decembra.
On je to smerno naslovio : "Bosna!" u Srbiji.

Ja-BHL, ne mogavsi prihvatiti da svoje impresije poveri samo nedeljniku
ciji je redovni saradnik, morase prihvatiti da sa Zilom Ercogom
(koscenaristom filma) uprilici clanak na istu temu u "Liberasionu"
22. decembra.
Tu stvar je manje smerno naslovio : "Bosna, u ocima Beograda ili,
srpska psihoanaliza".

Ja-BHL , medjutim, jeste zapravo "MI", kao sto znamo, do srzi
americko. A s obzirom da " Smo mi svi Amerikanci", otkako je to
"Le Mond" obznanio, BHL ce 21. decembra upravo "L'Mondu" poveriti
sta misli prvo lice mnozine, "Mi" (pseudonim za Ja-BHL). Skromno
je to naslovio : "Cemu nas je naucio 11. septembar"

Nudimo vam odlomak iz te lekcije (a nju cemo pomno cuvati za
slucaj da padne u zaborav).

<<Ti "tupavi" Amerikanci bili su kadri da za samo sto dana mobilisu
armadu; da je upute na udaljenost od 10 000 km. u zemlju gotovo
im potpuno nepoznatu; da stvore koaliciju koja nije zatajila; da
u najkracem roku preispitaju diplomatiju kao i doktrinu odbrane koja
se do tog trenutka svodila na teoriju o stitu za PVO; da reformisu
sve svoje obavestajne sluzbe; da konsoliduju domaci front ugrozen
od eventualnih novih atentata; da promene nacin misljenja, raskrste
sa ideologijom "ratovanja bez civilnih zrtava"; i da dobiju ovaj rat
sa jedva nekoliko stotina zrtava, mozda hiljadu civilnih zrtava...
sta biste vise od toga!>>

Kakav velicanstven tekst! Bas je sladak kao bomb... arder.

MACEDONIA: VESCOVO TEDESCO NASCONDEVA 400MILA MARCHI

Skoplje, 5/1/2001. Il vescovo militare tedesco Walter Mixa, cattolico,
e' stato trovato in possesso di 400mila marchi tedeschi ad un controllo
di confine tra la Macedonia e la provincia serba di Kosovo e Metohija.
I doganieri macedoni hanno sequestrato il danaro. Il vescovo ha
infranto la legistazione macedone, che pone dei limiti all'esportazione
di valuta dal paese.

> +++ Mazedonien: Deutscher Bischof mit 400.000 DM aufgegriffen +++
>
> SKOPLJE, 5. Januar 2001. Beim deutschen katholischen
> Militärbischof Walter Mixa wurden an einem Grenzübergang zwischen
> Mazedonien und der von der NATO kontrollierten serbischen Provinz
> Kosovo und Metochien 400.000 Mark in Bar gefunden. Die
> mazedonischen Zollbeamten stellten das Geld sicher. Der Deutsche
> verstieß gegen mazedonische Gesetze, die Ausfuhr von Geld aus dem
> Land begrenzen.
>
> TIKER / AMSELFELD.COM

GOVERNO SERBO METTE IN BANCAROTTA QUATTRO TRA LE PRINCIPALI
BANCHE DI STATO: 8500 DIPENDENTI DA SUBITO SENZA LAVORO.

La decisione e' stata presa in seguito alle intimidazioni della Banca
Mondiale e degli altri istituti che regolano il sistema creditizio-
usurario internazionale. Con i precedenti governi a guida socialista
le condizioni-capestro per la restituzione degli interessi sul
debito, gia' causa di disastri in altri paesi del mondo (esempio:
Argentina), erano state variamente aggirate. Con la nuova classe
dirigente, la cui politica economica e' stata formulata dagli
economisti ultraliberisti del "G17", tra cui il governatore della Banca
Centrale Dinkic, non c'e' piu' scampo: si vuole privatizzare il sistema
bancario nazionale lasciando in mano agli speculatori stranieri le
riserve del paese. (I. Slavo)

> http://www.ansa.it/balcani/jugoslavia/20020104200532094732.html

JUGOSLAVIA: DOPO CHIUSURA BANCHE SI DIMETTE MINISTRO FINANZE

(ANSA-REUTERS) - BELGRADO, 4 GEN - Il ministro delle finanze
jugoslavo Jovan Rankovic si e' dimesso a seguito della
decisione di chiudere quattro banche in difficolta'.
Lo ha detto il governatore della Banca centrale Dragisa Mladjan
Dinkic. Rankovic ha criticato la decisione annunciata ieri da
ministri dei governi jugoslavo e serbo di chiudere Beogradska
Banka, Beobanka, Investbanka e Jugobanka nel quadro di riforme
del suo fragile sistema finanziario sponsorizzate
dalla Banca mondiale. Le dimissioni di Rankovic sono state poi
confermate dal primo ministro jugoslavo Dragisa Pesic.
Secondo l'agenzia Tanjug, Pesic ha detto che il
ministro ha motivato le dimissioni ''con alcune incomprensioni e
divergenze con la Banca centrale, il governatore Dinkic e alcuni
ministri serbi''. la chiusura delle banche ha provocato proteste
tra le centinaia di dipendenti, che si sono barricati negli uffici.
(ANSA-REUTERS) DG 04/01/2002 20:05

> http://www.ansa.it/balcani/jugoslavia/20020103210032093759.html

JUGOSLAVIA: ORDINATA CHIUSURA QUATTRO IMPORTANTI BANCHE

(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADO, 3 GEN - Il governo jugoslavo ha deciso
oggi la chiusura di quattro tra le piu' importanti banche della
Serbia nel quadro di una riforma del sistema finanziario,
ormai moribondo. Lo ha annunciato il vice primo ministro
jugoslavo Miroljub Labus citato dall'agenzia 'Beta'. La chiusura
di queste banche lascera' senza lavoro circa 8.500 persone.
''Il nostro scopo e' quello di rompere con il sistema
bancario politico'', ha dichiarato Labus, riferendosi alle pratiche
monetarie del regime di Slobodan Milosevic rovesciato
nell'ottobre 2000, dopo oltre un decennio di autoritarismo
durante il quale ingenti somme di denaro sono state
trasportate fuori dal paese e trasferite su conti privati.
Le banche delle quali e' stata decisa la chiusura avevano
ogni mese debiti di 500 marchi (circa 250 euro) per ogni
impiegato e la Serbia doveva intervenire per garantire la
sua liquidita', ha precisato Labus. I quattro istituti bancari
hanno contratto negli ultimi dieci anni debiti per 3,5 miliardi
di marchi (1,75 miliardi di euro). I creditori, per la
maggior parte stranieri, avevano fatto causa e le
sentenze dei tribunali sono diventate esecutive. In questa
situazione ''l'unica soluzione e' il fallimento'' ha sottolineato il
vicepremier assicurando che i clienti di queste banche potranno
presto recuperare i loro averi. Le aziende che avevano conti in
queste banche saranno risarciti dallo stato serbo.
(ANSA-AFP). GGI 03/01/2002 21:00

+++ Jugoslawischer "Bankenmörder": keine schlechten Absichten +++
BELGRAD, 5. Januar 2002. Der ultraliberale Gouverner der
jugoslawischen Zentralbank Vladan Dinkic, der gemäß Forderungen
des Internationalen Währungsfonds und der Weltbank die
Zerschlagung und Liquidierung von vier größten jugoslawischen
Banken letzte Woche angeordnet hat, dementierte gegenüber dem
Radiosender "Stimme Amerikas", daß er mit diesem Schritt die
Marktübernahme durch ausländische Baken in Jugoslawien erreichen
wird.
TANJUG / AMSELFELD.COM

*** UNO SGUARDO ALL'INDIETRO:

GIUGNO: DINKIC PROMETTE PROVVEDIMENTI

YUGOSLAV CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR ON BANKING SYSTEM REHABILITATION
BELGRADE, June 6 (Tanjug) The first step in the rehabilitation of
Yugoslavia's banking system will be to clean the banks' balances from
all of the socalled old hard currency savings, Yugoslav Central Bank
Governor Mladjan Dinkic said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a congress of economists in Belgrade, Dinkic said
that the next step would be the writeoff of the banks' capital and
debts and the replacement of the "contaminated" assets by bonds
and liquidation assets. The threeday congress of bankers and economic
experts is dedicated to privatisation, financial institutions, new
laws and "old hard currency savings."

LA BERS PONE CONDIZIONI...

EBRD READY FOR COOPERATION WITH YUGOSLAVIA
GORNJI MILANOVAC, June 7 (Tanjug) For the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), it is essential at this moment
to learn what kind of privatization law will be passed in Serbia, in
order to know with whom it will negotiate credit arrangements, EBRD
Director for Yugoslavia Henry Russel said Thursday in Gornji Milanovac,
central Serbia.
Yugoslavia should also reform its legal and judiciary system with
a view to securing credits and investments through mortgages, Russel
said meeting local officials and executives of exportoriented companies.
Russel noted that he had visited many countries undergoing
transition and that the situation in Yugoslavia, especially as
regards the banking sector, is the most difficult.
It is actually a miracle that Yugoslavia's economy has survived
with such a banking system, Russel said, adding that the EBRD is
ready for cooperation with Yugoslavia but that it has its principles.
One of the principles is that the EBRD only finances projects
worth over five million dollars. Aware of the needs of Yugoslavia's
economy, however, especially of private companies, credible banks are
being selected to tackle on EBRD behalf projects which need lower
investments, Russel said.

...LA BANCA MONDIALE PURE...

YUGOSLAV VICEPREMIER MEETS WORLD BANK DELEGATION
BELGRADE, June 12 (Tanjug) Yugoslav VicePremier and Minister of
Foreign Trade Miroljub Labus and a World Bank delegation, headed by
Elaine Patterson, reviewed on Tuesday preparations for realising
the first tranche of a structural reform credit to Yugoslavia.
The first tranche amounts to 80 million dollars, of a total of 200
million, which is how much the World Bank should grant Yugoslavia
in the coming fiscal year, ending June 30, 2002.
The two sides agreed that the credit, earmarked for the budget to
finance structural adjustment, will provide significant support for
reforms which are prerequisite for regular servicing of Yugoslavia's
foreign debt.
Over the coming days, the World Bank mission will be meeting with
government officials of the Yugoslav federal units Serbia and
Montenegro to discuss structural and export credits as forms of
support for the transition process, a government statement said.

DINKIC: "NON AVREMO NESSUNA PIETA'"

DINKIC:WE WILL BE INEXORABLE
BELGRADE, June 13 (Tanjug) National Bank of Yugoslavia governor
Mladjan Dinkic said Wednesday that on June 15 will start preparations
for interventions in the domestic banking system within the
reconstruction process, so that on July 1 it will be know which
banks are "good" and which are "bad."
Dinkic said at a working meeting with journalists, on the topic
"Strategy of reconstruction of the banking system," highlighted the
fact that 28 banks whose recovery is uncertain employ over 20,000
people, while the entire Yugoslav banking sector has about 24,000
employees.
The governor assessed that in the process of consolidation of
banks about 5,000 employees will lose their jobs.
Asked whether he was aware of possible political pressure on the
National Bank of Yugoslavia and on him as governor, not only because
of the liquidation of banks but also because of protests of people
who will be left without jobs, Dinkic underlined that the process of
recovery and return of confidence in the domestic banking system must
be carried out without compromise, and warned: "we will be inexorable."

AGOSTO: LA BANCA MONDIALE RINGRAZIA E CONCEDE ALTRI SOLDI "A STROZZO"

THREE WORLD BANK AID PROGRAMS FOR SERBIA READY TO BE REALIZED. BELGRADE,
Aug 10 ( Beta) - Three World Bank aid programs for Serbia worth $18
million are ready to be signed but their implementation will start only
after they are ratified by the Yugoslav parliament, said these bank's
representatives in Belgrade.
The World Bank gave six million dollars for each of the following
programs: a program for developing private sector and small and
mediumsized enterprises and help for privatizing 27 companies, a program
for reconstruction of the banking sector and a program in the field of
energy, whic should make it posible to install the equipment in the
facilities of the Serbian Electricity Utility.
World Bank representatives say that the realization of these
programs cannot start before September because Yugoslav laws say that
contracts with the World Bank have to be ratified by the Yugoslav
parliament.
However, since these are donations and not loans, World Bank
representatives expect that the Yugoslav government suggests that such
arrangements should not be subject to ratification in the future.
World Bank representatives in Belgrade announced that an
agreement on a million dollars worth of donations for projects in
southern Serbia would be signed on Aug. 13 already.
The World Bank granted Yugoslavia development loans worth $120
million under IDA conditions. These conditions are most favorable
because they are interestfree and intended for the poorest countries.

DICEMBRE: LA JUGOSLAVIA SI INCHINA AGLI USURAI DI LONDRA

YUGOSLAVIA TAKES OVER ALL DEBTS TO LONDON CLUB OF CREDITORS
BELGRADE, Dec. 6 (Beta) - The special advisor to the governor of the
National Bank of Yugoslavia, Milan Zavadjil, on Dec. 6 said that
Yugoslavia would take over all financial obligations towards the
London Club of creditors, although the biggest debtors are the
four major state-run banks that are currently undergoing
the process of rehabilitation.
"These banks can hardly be expected to pay off these loans, which means
that their debt is an obligation of the state," Zavadjil said, adding
that it would be highly unlikely for the club to accept Yugoslav
commercial banks or their consortium as guarantors for the debt.
At a press conference of the G17 Institute, Zavadjil said that
Yugoslavia has regulated its foreign debt, excluding the one to the
London Club of creditors, amounting to US$2.3 billion, and some
non-guaranteed obligations by Yugoslav commercial banks.
"Because of our financial standing, we cannot pay off our debts to the
London Club of creditors under conditions worse than those arranged
with the Paris Club of creditors, not to mention that this would
jeopardize our deal with the Paris Club; its members would find it
difficult to justify the deal in their parliaments if we did not treat
all our creditors equally," Zavadjil said.

Balkan Express
by Nebojsa Malic
Antiwar.com

December 27, 2001

Balkans Christmas - All Year 'Round
Gifts from the Imperial Santa

In America, Christmas is the time for, among other things, exchanging
presents. In the former Yugoslavia - where many celebrate Christmas on
January 7, and others not at all - gifts are usually exchanged on New
Year's Day. But thanks to the great gift of "humanitarian democracy,"
delivered by tens of thousands of Santas in NATO fatigues and their
countless little helpers in politicians' suits, in this part of the
Balkans gift-giving can now last for the entire year.

And since the spirit of giving is also the spirit of sharing, why not
take a look at some of the more notable gifts bestowed upon some of the
most blessed people of the Balkans by their enlightened benefactors and
benevolent hegemons?

BOSNIA

It was very nice of the Empire to remember one of its pet wards of the
past decade. Sure, it was very nice of the United States to actively
step into the war that made headlines for three years, then conjure an
illusion of peace and send thousands of its troops to make it a reality.
But that was years ago, under the previous Emperor. What has the United
States done for the "Bosnians" lately?

Well, for one, its pet court finally came through and declared -
sentencing Serb general Radislav Krstic - that genocide against Bosnian
Muslims really took place.
It is worth noting that the Hague Inquisition (a.k.a. ICTY) never
actually proved the existence of a genocide; but because of what it is,
and because of who pays for it, assertions are considered enough. It may
not seem like much, but Alija Izetbegovic - wartime Muslim leader - is
likely to disagree. The legitimacy of his regime and its wartime conduct
rests solely on the thesis that they were protecting the Muslims from a
Serb genocide.

CROATIA

Speaking of genocide, the story of one that happened some 60 years ago
figures prominently into Croatia's gift this year. With tourist profits
falling in the aftermath of Black September, and the current government
tangled in a web of war crimes scandals that somehow never came to a
conclusion, packages from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
represented a bright ray of sunshine.

With all its woes, Croatia could hardly afford to cope with the fact
that its Founding Fathers (so to speak) were extremely good at the mass
killing of Serbs and Jews during World War II, when they were
enthusiastic allies of Nazi Germany. Because the US Government-funded
Holocaust Museum seized the physical evidence from the biggest
concentration camp, Jasenovac, from its Serb victims and delivered it to
the Croatian government for safekeeping, Croatia will now have
the freedom to cope with its history at a more convenient time, in a
more convenient manner - if ever.

KOSOVO

Despite the fact that Kosovo Albanians were not granted their dearest
wish this season - otherwise, they would have led this alphabetical list
as "Albania" - they still got a few things from Santa's bag. One of them
is a nice shiny new Assembly, with elections and a President and
Constitution and all, so they can play State under the ever-watchful eye
of the NATO governor, and with his ever-benevolent guidance. They are
supposed to share this wondrous gift with the Serbs, of course, and
some remaining Kosovo Serbs are quite thrilled at the prospect. Others
would be much more appreciative if they could venture out of their
ghettos without the fear of being killed.

Of course, one should not get too ambitious. Just last week, two
Albanians suspected of blowing up a bus full of Serbs in February were
released from jail. The court cited "lack of evidence" and dismissed the
case. With the third suspect mysteriously vanishing from the supposedly
impregnable US fortress-base Bondsteel this summer, and no attempts to
track down the perpetrators and "smoke them out of their holes," it
seems as if blowing up Serbs in Kosovo is neither terrorism, nor a crime
punishable by law. How is that for coal in the stocking?

MACEDONIA

Now Macedonia's gift this year was simply precious. There is no other
way of describing the Treaty of Ohrid, if one is to avoid being labeled
a "hard-line militant nationalist warmonger." For a while it looked as
if Macedonia would have to fight a full-scale war against the Albanian
"liberation army" on vacation from pillaging in Kosovo.

Then, through the merciful intervention of Europe's noted peace activist
Javier Solana and America's honest broker James Pardew, Macedonia was
prevented from making the dreadful mistake of self-defense, which would
have cost its taxpayers millions of dollars for weapons from non-NATO
countries. Instead, the Macedonian government happily accepted
preferential treatment for the Albanians, establishing ethnic quotas and
enforcing bilingualism on the 75% of the population for the sake of the
remaining 25%. Ever since then, things in Macedonia have been just
wonderful - with the exception of some evil nationalist hard-line
warmongers, who simply hate peace.

MONTENEGRO

Montenegro has not been forgotten in this flurry of gift-giving, either.
It may seem to have had a bad year. Milo Djukanovic failed to obtain
approval for secession in the polls this spring. Now the republic's
inhabitants are experiencing power shortages, California-style, in the
midst of a cruel winter. Maybe Djukanovic will tell the
people only independence would bring them back light and warmth? Surely,
as with everything else in the Balkans, the power shortage must be
Serbia's fault?.

On a brighter and warmer note, the money from the US treasury continued
to flow into Djukanovic's pockets even as US diplomats ambiguously
disagreed with his plans for secession.

SERBIA

For someone who has been on the "naughty" list for so many years, Serbia
was simply showered with presents this time around - receiving so many
that its neighbors have grown jealous. One could start with the millions
of dollars the Empire gave to the Serbian opposition to win the 2000
election, but that would technically be ineligible for this year.

Perhaps the greatest gift of the year, then, would be the liberation of
Serbia from the presence of Slobodan Milosevic, the Constitution, its
legal system and much of its dignity - and all at once! Though the aid
money that was promised for Milosevic's head never actually arrived -
prompting plaintive words from Prime Minister Djindjic - there was still
the $5 million bounty. Since he ordered both Milosevic's arrest and
deportation, Djindjic obviously qualifies for the money. Interestingly
enough, there is no record of what actually happened to the bounty.?

There are other generous gifts, too numerous to mention: ICTY
indictments, partially forgiven fabricated loans, generous restorations
of Yugoslav property Serbia had owned to begin with, and so on.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Finally, just before Christmas, the European Court of Human Rights sent
a gift to all lovers of human rights and liberties. Last week it ruled
that NATO could not be judged for killing 16 Serbian TV workers in April
1999. Apparently, NATO did nothing wrong by bombing Serbia, since any
action outside the defendants' territory (i.e. Serbia) is not in the
Court's jurisdiction and is not bound by the European Human Rights
Convention. Serbia, then, is in NATO's territory when it
needs to be bombed, and is outside the territory when the butcher's bill
comes due. For this enlightening clarification of humanitarian law, and
its celebration of universal human rights, we should all give thanks.

Yes, it has been a wonderful year in the Balkans, filled with marvelous
gifts coming straight from the heart. The Empire looks forward to
blessing the benighted Peninsula with even more treasures in the years
to come. Yet in its altruistic benevolence, it asks for nothing in
return save absolute obedience and utter submission.
Surely, this is a small price to pay for such bountiful rewards.

Happy holidays!

===*===

Balkan Express
by Nebojsa Malic
Antiwar.com

January 3, 2002

Operation Enduring Stupidity
The Year That Was

Upon the completion of Earth's revolution around the sun, the only
things that change are the numbers on the calendar. Problems that
existed on December 31st are still there on Jan uary 1st. Stupidity does
not vanish at the stroke of midnight, the way common sense does anywhere
the Empire gets involved.

More to the point, whenever the Empire does get involved, the existing
problems are never solved. Instead, they are treated temporarily, with
nothing more than a band-aid "agreement" or a half-witted "peace
process," and left to fester. When they inevitably erupt again, that -
naturally - calls for more "treatment" by Imperial diplomats, which is
to be financed by Imperial loans, which in turn produce further
problems, and so on, ad infinitum. This is not just the case in the
Balkans, by the way. From Somalia and Afghanistan (the first time) to
Haiti, Argentina and the Middle East, the world is strewn with examples
of Imperial intervention's ongoing consequences.

MANIFEST INSANITY

Recipients (i.e. victims) of this "treatment" create elaborate delusions
of grandeur and suffer frequent bouts of groveling whenever their
Imperial masters are around. A perfect sample case could be Serbia's
Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic.
He has exhibited symptomatic behavior before, and his latest statements
show no sign of recovery.

Three days ago, Djindjic's optimistic, self-congratulatory holiday
message aimed to convince the Serbian population that his government
enjoyed the respect and admiration of the Empire. To this purpose he
employed phrases such as "equal partners," and "driving force of
regional development," which were both misleading and meaningless. The
Empire has no partners, only servants, and it certainly does not care
for regional development - which, again, can hardly be driven by a
nation whose infrastructure was demolished by the Empire's bombs just
three years ago.

No less insane was the holiday message of Montenegro's ruler Milo
Djukanovic, who actually said that "not a single Montenegrin problem can
be resolved without our own Montenegrin state." Given that Montenegro,
under his leadership, already has de facto independence and that its
inhabitants are still fairly miserable, Djukanovic's appeal to
nationalism is disingenuous at best.

MADNESS WITHOUT METHOD

Victims of imperialism also tend to substitute madness for elementary
logic. Normal reactions to certain developments are repressed or even
completely substituted by irrational expressions of submission, no doubt
motivated by the desire to secure the Empire's ever-elusive but
oft-promised affection.

Djindjic's delusional visions would have the Serbs believe their
government is now favored by the Empire. This is no doubt buoyed by a
recent spate of self-serving interference in the debate between Serbia
and Montenegro about the future of Yugoslavia. Indeed, official Belgrade
is not bothering to hide its excitement over the
possibility that the Empire might actually favor its position (or the
position the Empire "persuades" Belgrade to adopt?) over Djukanovic's.

As usual, reality does little to support Djindjic's claims. Instead of
favoring his regime, or even cutting Serbia a break, the Empire
continues to insist on absolute submission to the Hague Inquisition. As
a good vassal, Djindjic is supporting that insistence. He is also trying
to justify it as a price that must be paid for becoming a
province of the EU superstate (something most Serbian politicians
consider a worthy goal! O tempora, o mores!).

Of course, Djindjic might not be entirely delusional. He might say
things he does not really believe, knowing that if he failed to submit,
the Empire could simply stop giving him money needed for his regime's
survival. Or, if he really got out of hand, they could reopen the old
wound in southern Serbia, right along the border of
semi-amputated Kosovo, where Albanians are still "restless." But whether
the Serbian Prime Minister (and the regime for which he stands) is
really schizophrenic, or simply pretending, the end result is the same:
groveling.

POINTS OF DEPARTURE

There is more, of course. When Kosovo's occupying governor Hans
Haekkerup unexpectedly resigned just before the New Year, Kosovo
Albanians by and large hailed the news. They saw both Haekkerup and his
job as obstacles to their goal of an independent, all-Albanian Kosovo.

Now, Haekkerup was a governor of a Serbian province occupied by some
20,000 NATO troops, ethnically cleansed of most Serbs, Jews, Roma and
other non-Albanians - with the remainder living in ghettos surrounded by
barbed wire. It was Haekkerup who engineered an election that gave this
occupation a pretense of legitimacy. However "honest" and "decent" he
may have been, Haekkerup was still a representative of an illegal,
illegitimate occupying authority. Any rational government would have
maintained insistence on ending the occupation as the matter of
principle. The current regime in Belgrade, however, expressed "regret"
at Haekkerup's departure, and the "elected" leader of Kosovo Serbs said
she looked forward to cooperating with the occupiers and their protégés.

Americans' regret over Haekkerup's resignation was at least a polite
fallacy. Certainly someone in Washington will be very happy that the new
interim satrap in Kosovo is an American. But if, after this, the Serbs
still have any respect for their leaders, then perhaps those are the
leaders they deserve.

ALL MY DREAMS, TORN ASUNDER

It is hard to imagine that a year ago the future actually looked better.
The Emperor-designate had spoken about the possibility of withdrawing
from the Balkans, and cutting back on his predecessor's worldwide
warfare in general. There was at least a glimmer of hope that something
good could come out of partisan bickering and a change of faces in
Washington, and that the Empire's crusade in the Balkans might end now
that its power-seeking purpose was accomplished.

2001 was also supposed to be a year of flying cars, colonies on the
Moon, and expeditions to Jupiter turned tragic because of computers gone
haywire. Humans have proven to be perfectly capable of producing
tragedies without the help of artificial intelligence, and much closer
to home. The war fever in the aftermath of Black Tuesday only confirmed
what was obvious a month earlier in Ohrid, Macedonia. Far from being
over, the crusade was just getting started.

As other parts of the world are being pulverized, driven to a killing
frenzy or drowned in delusions, the Balkans continues to undergo a
seemingly unending collective lobotomy at the hands of Imperial
surgeons. How much longer before the admittedly flawed denizens of the
Peninsula become permanently corrupted into a more hideous form of
existence?

NO WAY OUT?

There is always hope, of course. As with any disease, only after the
proper diagnosis can one come up with a cure. At the root of the
Empire's success is a common ailment of the human mind, a misguided
belief that problems of the Society can only be solved by the State.
From there it follows that problems that confound the
state can only be solved by a more powerful state, i.e. the Empire.
Formerly known as Communism or Fascism, depending on symptoms, this
ailment is more properly described as Tyrannical Statism and commonly
misdiagnosed as Democracy.

Obviously, problems cannot be solved by the reasoning responsible for
creating them. Things can change - for better or worse, but change -
only if this dangerous mindset is replaced with even the tiniest bit of
rational, principled thinking. For stupidity endures the test of time,
but not the test of reason.