Nebojsa Malic

South Stream is no more. While Western government and press hacks on both sides of the Atlantic gloated over the cancellation of the trans-Balkans pipeline as Russia’s "defeat", they missed the absolutely crucial point of Monday’s announcement, made by Vladimir Putin during the state visit to Ankara: Russia will replace the project stalled by US … Continue reading “South Stream Blues”

Whereas there was at least some humor in the grim reality of Bosnia’s general elections – which, by the way, returned mostly expected results (Economist‘s wishful thinking aside) – the situation in neighboring Serbia this autumn of 2014 has been all grim and no funny. Even the "gay pride" parade, held in Belgrade on September … Continue reading “Two Parades and a Drone”

The coming general elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina (October 12) won’t solve anything. This is the earth-shattering conclusion of the analysis by Antonio Cortiñas, from the Elcano Royal Institute in Spain. Cortiñas, a former Spanish officer "with diplomatic and military experience in the Balkans" blames Bosnia’s political order and claims "inability to solve real problems continues to … Continue reading “The Grim and the Funny of Bosnian Elections”

Events of the past two weeks have demonstrated once again that the Atlantic Empire regards humanity as nothing more than pieces on the game board. Wars in the Ukraine, Iraq and Syria, the ongoing meltdown of "liberated" Libya, the barbarous actions of ISIS – all consequences of imperial meddling, to greater or lesser extent – … Continue reading “Of Motes and Beams”

Earlier this week, jihadists loyal to the "Islamic State" – a self-proclaimed Caliphate in eastern Syria and northern Iraq – ritually beheaded American journalist James Foley, their captive since last year. The gruesome film of the execution was posted online, of course; the IS has eagerly embraced social media as a way of preaching jihad, … Continue reading “Empire’s Murderous Fruits”

At the end of July, a “Special Investigative Task Force” (SITF) announced (PDF) the results of its three-year inquiry into charges of heinous atrocities involving the “Kosovo Liberation Army”. Insofar as it deigned to acknowledge any atrocities were committed by these favored clients of the Empire, the SITF report is indeed groundbreaking. However, a second … Continue reading “Covering for the KLA”

When the Soviet Union imploded in 1991, the United States – and its junior partners in Europe – found itself bereft of an enemy. One scholar, Francis Fukuyama, concluded by 1992 that this represented the "end of history" and the beginning of an age in which "western" values such as capitalism and "liberal democracy" were … Continue reading “A Clash of Civilizations”

On June 28, two events marked the centenary of the fateful shots which ended the lives of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie von Hohenberg. In Sarajevo, the Bosnian Muslim authorities hosted the Vienna Philharmonic, which performed at the same old City Hall where the angry Archduke had impatiently scowled through the sycophantic speech … Continue reading “Russia’s Choice, in 1914 and Now”

"Successful diplomacy requires a measure of mutual accommodation," were the words of former NATO official Michael Stopford at the 31st US-Russia World Forum in Washington, DC this week. Shrilly denounced as "Putin apologists," the participants in the conference actually ran the gamut from outspoken Russia scholar Stephen F. Cohen to Leonid Gozman, leader of a … Continue reading “US-Russia Forum Seeks Way Out of New Cold War”

Seventy years ago, on June 6 1944, the Western Allies launched the largest amphibious operation in history, landing hundreds of thousands of men and tanks onto the beaches of Normandy. American, British, Canadian, Australian and various "Free Forces" (Czech, French, Polish, etc.) took part in the operation, backed by the British and US naval and … Continue reading “Is This What D-Day Was For?”