Nebojsa Malic

EU Back in the Balkans Following Emperor Bush II’s visit to Europe last month, the U.S. seems to have pulled back to the sidelines of Balkans policy, letting its junior partners in Brussels deal with the peninsula. American threats and saber-rattling had produced relatively few results convincing Balkans capitals to round up and deliver officials … Continue reading “Eastern Empire Rising?”

Kosovo “Prime Minister” Indicted Three months after he was appointed “prime minister” in the “provisional government” of the occupied Serbian province of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj has stepped down and surrendered to the Hague Inquisition. He did so after receiving a sealed indictment, whose contents had not been made public as of Tuesday night. Haradinaj’s surrender … Continue reading “The Haradinaj Affair”

"Beatings will continue until morale improves." – Modern American joke This week, the heat under the bubbling Balkans cauldron has been stoked by the Hague Inquisition, and more so than usual. In addition to the obligatory quota of Serb generals, among the 10 new indictments it just issued were the commander of Bosnian Muslim forces … Continue reading “Consequences of the Hague Inquisition”

The "Unfinished War" Rages On Neither the ongoing trouble in Iraq, threats to Syria, North Korea’s nuclear weapons, nor the increasing belligerence toward Russia sufficed to divert the advocates of "independence" for the occupied Serbian province of Kosovo, who resumed their diplomatic and media offensive launched in late January with another set of high-profile editorials. … Continue reading “Convergence in Kosovo”

Empire’s Enablers, Paid and Unpaid Several weeks ago, a scandal erupted in the U.S. when it was revealed that several pundits got paid by the Bush government to support its policies. Commenting on the scandal, Lew Rockwell, president of the libertarian Ludwig von Mises Institute, wrote that “it’s not those who lie for money we … Continue reading “Quislings Do It Better”

A Diplomatic and Propaganda Assault Last week’s report by the International Crisis Group advocating the “independence” of Kosovo seems to have been the first shot in an all-out propaganda war to decide the future of that occupied Serbian province. The report has received tremendous attention in the media, from wire services to official U.S. propaganda … Continue reading “The New Kosovo War”

The International Crisis Group – ICG for short (though they’ve recently decided to shun the acronym) – has long been a player on the Balkans scene, deployed first as rhetorical support for the Clinton regime’s interventions, then as a pressure group to ensure the preservation of their pet policies under the reign of Bush II. … Continue reading “The ICG Strikes Again”

During the presidential campaign last year, when John Kerry tried to be a bigger imperialist than George W. Bush, he chose the Balkans as his battleground. Here was a jewel in the crown of Clinton’s “humanitarian interventionism,” neglected by Bush as he went gallivanting about the Middle East, that candidate Kerry promised to resurrect to … Continue reading “A Broken Promise”

The authorities in Belgrade entered the new calendar year in the same state of mental disarray and logical confusion they’ve displayed since ascending to power in 2000. That PM Kostunica and President Tadic would continue to say opposing things has by now become accepted as normal, but so has the even more pronounced dissent between … Continue reading “Unprepared for Challenges Ahead”

Nebojsa is on vacation. He will return next week. There can be no doubt that 2004 has been a bad year for peace in the Balkans. An increase in violence and the escalation of Clinton-era policies that appeared defeated earlier have both contributed to a general deterioration in the region, to the point of threatening … Continue reading “Train of Abuses”