Nebojsa Malic

Nebojsa Malic left his home in Bosnia after the Dayton Accords and currently resides in the United States. During the Bosnian War he had exposure to diplomatic and media affairs in Sarajevo. As a historian who specializes in international relations and the Balkans, Malic has written numerous essays on the Kosovo War, Bosnia, and Serbian politics. His exclusive column for Antiwar.com debuted in November 2000.

Claiming the Black Mountain

Montenegro’s Separatists Win After seven years of frustrated attempts, the separatist regime in Montenegro celebrated victory Sunday night, as it managed to drum up the 55.5 percent of the votes necessary to win the independence referendum. What would be a landslide in any Western election was actually the narrowest of margins in Montenegro, as the … Continue reading “Claiming the Black Mountain”

No Game of Chess

Balkans and the Imperial "Inevitable" "Ladies and gentlemen, it does not get much more disgusting than this." Chris Deliso, frequent Antiwar.com contributor and editor of Balkanalysis.com, thus described the occupation of Kosovo going on nigh seven years. NATO’s attack on the then-Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in March 1999 was blatantly illegal from any standpoint, so … Continue reading “No Game of Chess”

Failures

Balkans vs. Imperial “Reality” The last days of April saw the failure of two promises Balkans leaders had made to their Imperial overlords. In Bosnia, opponents of the constitutional reform managed to pull off an upset and derail the American-sponsored amendments. Meanwhile, Brussels and the Hague Inquisition demanded that Serbia track down, arrest, and extradite … Continue reading “Failures”

Interesting Times

Spring in the Balkans News from the Balkans over the past week almost created the impression that this was just another ordinary region in the Empire’s periphery, where local rustics practice entertaining eccentricities and cope with natural disaster. The greatest flood in 100 years along the Danube has attracted a lot of attention, as has … Continue reading “Interesting Times”

Birth of an Empire

Review of Fools’ Crusade by Diana Johnstone 317 pages, Monthly Review Press, New York, 2002 Books that have accompanied the 1990s Balkans wars have by and large been complete rubbish. There were, to be fair, some works worth reading. Yet the Balkans tragedy was missing a book that would explain things in layman’s terms – … Continue reading “Birth of an Empire”

The Unbearable Smugness of Being

Balkans "Endgame" on Schedule – or Is it? For a region with more history than it can handle, the Balkans is wrought with anniversaries and commemorations no matter the season. The end of March brought the seventh anniversary of NATO’s attack that ended in the occupation of Kosovo (March 24, 1999); it was followed by … Continue reading “The Unbearable Smugness of Being”

City on the Edge of Forever

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina – Just as the gray houses and snow-covered ground emerge from the thick late-winter fog, the airplane banks sharply up, its engines straining for altitude. The captain apologizes; he could not see the landing lights, and on the approach to the Sarajevo international airport, there can be no mistakes. Rocky slopes of the … Continue reading “City on the Edge of Forever”

Democracy in Action

Promoting Terrorists, Again Milan Babic, onetime president of the breakaway Republic of Serb Krajina (in today’s Croatia), was found dead in his temporary cell at the Hague Inquisition’s Scheveningen prison on Monday, having reportedly committed suicide. Two years ago, Babic had copped a deal with the Inquisition, confessing to one charge of (unspecified) crimes against … Continue reading “Democracy in Action”

Insult to Injury

Triumph of the Imaginary Balkans Last week’s media flurry over the alleged arrest of Gen. Ratko Mladic – reported by certain Serbian media as fact, then denied by officials both in Belgrade and The Hague – coincided with the start of "negotiations" in Vienna between the representatives of Serbia and the separatist Albanians, determined to … Continue reading “Insult to Injury”