Nebojsa Malic

As the growth of the Internet matched the unfolding Balkans conflicts of the 1990s, the Web has become a significant medium for news and commentaries in the region. NATO’s 1999 invasion of Kosovo drove the point home, as internet journalists outmaneuvered the Imperial media blockade and informed the world of lies and liars who told … Continue reading “Balkans Online”

Sarajevo and Bosnia are "rising from the ashes," proclaims a recent puff piece by AFP. After a horrible war that drove millions out of their homes and cost hundreds of thousands their lives, the yarn goes, Bosnia is finally bouncing back. Well, it isn’t. Bosnia’s economy continues to founder, its demoralized people continue to flee, … Continue reading “The Black Hole of Nation-Building”

Even as north-eastern United States clawed its way from a weekend blackout, and the UN mission in Iraq gasped in shock at Tuesday’s massacre at its Baghdad headquarters, the occupied Serbian province of Kosovo was once again in the headlines. A week ago, British historian Kate Hudson noted that the attack on Yugoslavia over Kosovo … Continue reading “Fresh Blood in Kosovo”

From riots in Basra to rumblings at home, it is becoming obvious that the half-witted "plan" to conquer Iraq is slowly smashing against the hard rock of reality. Unfortunately, evidence also indicates that Imperial leaders will not let something as irrelevant as reality disturb their march of power. In an effort to ex post facto … Continue reading “Empires and Balkans Don’t Mix”

This week, just as His Elevated Majesty was becoming increasingly testy about all the questioning of his feeble rationalizations for the Empire’s Middle Eastern adventure – which has turned quite sour for the troops on the ground – Washington received an unlikely morale booster. It was announced that during his late July visit to Washington, … Continue reading “The New Janissaries”

It would be deeply unfair to offer only a list of dreadful books about the Balkans Wars and not mention the other kind – the books that help the overall understanding of the region and the turmoil it has been undergoing for the past decade or so. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the number of good … Continue reading “The Worthy Balkans Booklist”

Driven by the demand for information about the Balkans wars, a veritable mountain of books, pamphlets and papers have been produced over the course of the 1990s, purporting to explain and analyze tragedy of former Yugoslavia. Unfortunately, this quantity did not translate into anything resembling quality. Most of what’s been written about the fighting in … Continue reading “Worthless Words”

None of the events or statements that follow should come as a surprise. What is surprising is the lack of reaction by their victims, or those who unwittingly support the perpetrators. As with everything, the ongoing Balkans drama will have consequences yet impossible to foresee. Ancient Greeks used to say, "Whom gods would destroy, they … Continue reading “Liars, Halfwits, Inquisitors and Thieves”

Two weeks ago, reporting on the violent arrest of a retired Serbian army colonel on war crimes charges raised by the Hague Inquisition, Reuters and other news media referred to the 1991 conflict as the “Croatian war of independence.” That term, however, is false. Many defenders of Slobodan Milosevic see him as the Serbian Abraham … Continue reading “The Serbian Lincoln?”

"Rare Bosnia Success Story, Thanks to U.S. Viceroy," blares the New York Times headline on a story celebrating Empire that appeared this Tuesday. It has to be read to be believed, but suffice to say that the author unflinchingly uses terms such as "viceroy," "proconsul" and even "colony" while arguing that a bit of occupation … Continue reading “Paragons of Empire”