Nebojsa Malic

"Elections are being advertised as a way of claiming responsibility for one’s future. In reality, they are nothing but a way to fool the people into believing that their opinions matter. And it is very obvious that for a very long time, that has definitely not been the case." (from "The Unbearable Futility of Voting") … Continue reading “Electing to Abstain”

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Australia’s John Howard may have a reputation in their respective countries for being the lapdogs of the American president – in Blair’s case, two of them so far. But no national leader in the world has demonstrated such sycophancy to the Emperor as the recently elected Boris Tadic, the … Continue reading “‘Most Humbly Yours…’”

With the U.S. elections for emperor – uh, president – just six weeks off, people in the Democratic camp are apparently thinking that Americans are nostalgic for Bill Clinton’s imperialist policies, rather than his charm or (supposed) social or economic accomplishments. John Kerry promises not only to continue Bush Junior’s adventures in Bactria and Babylon, … Continue reading “Imperial Balkans”

When Napoleon ordered the abduction and murder of a political opponent in 1804, his foreign minister, Count Talleyrand, commented: “That was worse than a crime; it was a mistake.” Apparently, the wisdom of Talleyrand was not limited to the time. The public opinion in the U.S. and its “willing allies” may have successfully ignored the … Continue reading “Withdraw From the Balkans!”

It may not have been obvious in the beginning, when the smoldering ruins of the Towers in New York and the burning ring of the Pentagon loomed large in people’s minds, but the war that followed Black Tuesday three years ago was doomed from the start. For a brief moment, there was a historic opportunity … Continue reading “The War God’s Own”

Slobodan Milosevic’s defense at the Hague Inquisition began this week, after several delays. Reporters in The Hague, who are without exception partial to the Tribunal and scornful of Milosevic, described his opening statement as “defiant” but pointless, as he supposedly did not address the actual charges. But the prattling of Tribunal camp-followers notwithstanding, even the … Continue reading “The Hague Showdown”

BELGRADE, SERBIA-MONTENEGRO – Anger and incredulity erupted from the crowds gathered around TV screens in Belgrade’s outdoor cafes Monday night, as they realized their national team was going to lose to China by just one point. For the once-proud winners of the world championship in Indianapolis (02), the Olympic tournament has been one colossal embarrassment … Continue reading “Defying Despair”

Belgrade (Beograd) means “White City” in old Slavic as well as modern Serbian. The city stands on the confluence of two major rivers, the Sava and the Danube, and presently has almost two million residents. With many of them away on vacation in the dog days of early August, the city is as close to … Continue reading “A Letter from Belgrade”

Nebojsa Malic is traveling and we have had trouble receiving his column via cyberspace. We hope to have his next column soon. William Shakespeare’s Richard III opens with the memorable lines of earl Gloucester (later the eponymous king), “Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious summer by this sun of York;/ And all the … Continue reading “Summer of Discontent”

With foreign policy becoming the big issue of the 2004 U.S. elections, predictions that Democrats would invoke the “successes” of Clintonian interventions, particularly in the Balkans, seem to be coming true. But though Bosnia and Kosovo don’t seem to figure prominently in convention speeches just yet, with the assortment of Balkans veterans on John Kerry’s … Continue reading “The Choice: Bush’s Empire or Kerry’s”