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The Cold war is over. Yes, long ago. So is the "American Dream" which has never come true for most nations under American foreign policy drive.

Like in underworld, the American hidden hand has caused lasting consternation and confusion, with a happy ending for the unscrupulous traitors and cheap political figures alone in the cradles of nations affected by its "messianic hope".

This is particularly true for the ex-communist countries that relied, unconditionally, on the American support at reasserting their long-awaited freedom and independence. The American political advices where mostly contrary to what the Americans practiced at home.

As a result, such states are the caricature of American politics today. They are run by poorly transparent American intermediaries who support, as by rule, the ex-communists and incompetent leaders, by painting them into neo- or reformed democrats, encouraging them to purge from the state offices and persecute the true heroes and liberators. Obviously, certain narrow interest groups in the US foreign offices had no interest in fair partnership and cooperation, and were only looking for obedient traitors, to whom they offered to be "heroes" like tigres de papiers, and a true ennui for the peoples in such states. The result is, the US has no longer credibility in the world, the element so much praised by the US policy makers.

Croatian example – "a successful experiment" for the American foreign policy players –gives sufficient, and morose evidence for these statements.

Like Dostoyevsky's "Underground (Underworld) man", they encouraged the Croatian politicians to act in a manner "I should persecute anyone who would not show me respect." Ivo Sanader, Croatian prime minister, has the longest record of abuses of power, with full support of the US, especially since he decided to "credit" his government with betrayal of the Croatian national heroes (even the former French Foreign Legion soldier, general Ante Gotovina!) and extradited them to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), some of the bravest being imprisoned in Croatia. Since then, there's no national policy of Croatia. PM Sanader's and President Mesic's stated objectives being an utopian dream of "joining the NATO and EU" but resulting in a non-transparent "Mediterranean union" membership, for which Croatian people gave them no mandate. Apart from this, they publically claimed that their dream was to "democratize" Serbia, which was their objective under the US guidance, of course. There are no other national objectives in sight, and no "wellbeing" out of their concept of "being" in politics.

Such politicians are promoted as "democratic" allies by the US. Although the Americans did support Croatian offensive (Storm 1995), subsequently, the US Administration put price on head of its top commanders ($5 million!), while admitting the US support only as much as it is necessary to impose Mr George W. Bush as "liberator" and defender of Croatia and allow him to recruit Croatian soldiers for his global wars.

Unscrupulous traitors in Croatian top offices define themselves today in terms of "McCains and Obamas". This is the only logic still remaining within the Croatian ruling party (HDZ), to the leaders of which Croatian history reserves the place of traitors of Croatia and its Homeland war heroes, in spite of their colossal decorum in which they ineptly portray themselves as "World" or "European" politicians, be it "McCain" or "Obama". "HDZ needs McCain… ", claims the HDZ politician so to express HDZ's support for the current PM Ivo Sanader, while identifying as "Obama" another politician whom this party wishes to integrate so to erase every opposition to a national treason, to be sure. To join HDZ's "McCains-Obamas" is kind of a protection in Croatia against the vicious prosecution; hence, the opposition politicians are better to be quiet and obedient. The cowards. ("HDZ-u treba McCain [Mr Sanader], a ne Obama", JL, 31 August 2008)

Indeed, all that's left of Croatia today is "Bush, McCain, Obama" – and, what a "surprise", Mr Biden. Croatian Catholic priest in the US who claims to be his advisor for years, gets involved in his campaign! (Hrvatski fratar savjetovao Joea Bidena", JL, 25 Aug 2008)

Dostoyevsky might teach them some magnanimity, if the Second Vatican Council failed to do so.

Sadly, no one among these "elites" spoke so loud against treason of Croatian wrongly accused war-time heroes in The Hague. Neither do they speak today of saving the honor of Croatia by bringing them home. Their entire honor is in the US-approved political constellations, preferably within HDZ, a proven traitor.

Thus, it is not surprising that in Croatia the true heroes are fully replaced by the American false ones, false at least in respect of Croatia. Croatian elites position themselves along the US politicians who lead the same foreign policy. They even bring traditionally anti-Croatian "elites" to write yet unwritten "scenarios" for Croatian politics, Croatian history, including the military one, and to make the movies on it, which must make uncomfortable all those who lived it through. But they will erase the memory, too. We will "forget everything". (Not, really!)

For this, Croatians had to tolerate the betrayals imposed via HDZ- ICTY joint criminal venture. Every opposition, even when heard, quickly ended up in a dead silence. No campaign with the US allies was successful either – even Russians showed more subtlety and elegance towards Croatian quests for justice. One is allowed to praise a soldier only in Mr Bush's wars in Irak, Afghanistan and so on and on, but not in the interest of one's own nation.

The global anti-American mood, which HDZ elites weirdly ignore, is due to destruction and utopian "reconstruction" of a new, messianic kingdom that denounces all national values and tradition. Via so-called "reforms", they destroy every devoir de mémoire, they destroy the best among the people, and then they forget them.

Their politics are invisible, their revisionism ruthless: They spare no value vital to a national survival; their heroes are lazy and fake. They leave no stable ground for a single truth.

Croatian "American dream," marked by shocking irresponsibility and luxurious inertia of the Croatian government, is deeply stamped by the US official approval, and the "hope" is truly the last thing their people still wishes to hear. It can only irritate.

But the soul of Croatian people – the noble nation (pope Jean Paul II) – got caught in their inertia. Most Croatians are paralyzed and do too little. They just obey, but their silence cannot hold for long. For there is no American dream at all – it has all features of former communist repression. We should not forget that the US foreign policy makers supported communist leader Josip Broz Tito, as well, whom they generously financed until his very end. (Histoire de la Croatie: "Croatie, sentinelle de l'Occident", Christophe Dolbeau)

A "Croatian experiment" should not succeed in other European states; it would be tragic for Europe. However, bien-pensant Mr Sarkozy of France, portrayed in the US media as "Europe", rushes on the frail US wings and repeats Croatian "successful" scenario in France: He clashes with his armed forces, announcing million reforms and betraying even his most fervent voters. As long as he ruins French capacity of self-reliance in security and economic matters, he is praised by the US foreign policy makers. ("President Sarkozy lashes out at everyone", TimesOnline, 3 July 2008) He shows no respect for the French people's opposition to the European constitution, and tries to impose his narrow view even in other countries, such as Ireland, which voted against it at a referendum. ("President Sarkozy demands second Irish referendum on EU treaty, TimesOnline, 16 July 2008) (It's however strange to see that the British media gives Mr Sarkozy a stick, while the US – a carrot, but I haven't researched the background behind these articles, they're quickly picked via google).

It is clear to us today that the American theories on the state governance, on democracy, on defense management, on ethics, and on the western-style politics overall(all of which I was perhaps one of the greatest fans) seem to have no more practical value than the Marxist ones.

Such is, at least, the result of their implementation in other states. Perhaps, neither the American nation should be grateful for it to its policy makers or their advisors – it brings them no golden dreams anyhow, just the curse. It no longer works.

It is evident from a new US- Georgia-Russia-South Ossetia conflict. This time, no one really believes in the "Cold war" connection that some try to re-establish.

Apart from the rare and omnipotent "American allies", picked up by "invisible hand" of the US foreign policy makers among the most corrupted and cheap political figures, no one can enjoy a "sublime and beautiful" democracy transition in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, etc., accompanied by a cruel betrayal of the national heroes and a rude crack-down on opposition and independent media. After all, no one truly sees a "democracy spreading" in Irak, Afghanistan, etc. Only the bloodshed.

But in Georgia, the story gets a different tune. Georgia's leader, too, was first encouraged by the US and allied advisors to smash the opposition and independent media in his country, only to lunch an all-out attack on South Ossetia later on– but unlike in the case of small European nations awaiting the "American dream", the truth is no longer difficult to discern. (See the article " This is a tale of US expansion not Russian aggression", Guardian, 14 August, 2008; Georgia War: A Neocon Election Ploy?, The Nation, 13 August 2008). The South Ossetia is nothing like the Serbia-Croatia "study case" where the Western public could not even discern, with confidence, from media, who attacked whom during the tragic war.

Certainly, the US foreign policy needs a soul-searching of its own, and a close check by the American people, which is the American problem, in the end.

But for many others, across the world, the "American dream" is an overcome illusion. It is better to be so. The US has done nothing to support justice and peace; it only looked to destroy the strong and patriotic leaders in other countries, in which it then imposed non-transparent authorities and weak domestic political figures.

The Russian "Underground man" has finally recovered its soil and its national elements, and inspired a well-deserved respect among other nations so that they, too, act in their own interest. (See the article "Serious Mistakes by the West", Spiegel interview with Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, 18 August, 2008)

While the US "Underground man" – it is clear to us – is slapped in the face, he is naïve, a "complete failure". Contrary to all expectations. On the global scene, the US acts as anonymous dictator, with a messianic hope that runs its allies in their ruin, and perhaps even the US.

It seems that the Western nations need to reassess what they were taught on Russia. While today, Russia faces the favorable facts on the ground, stopping the conflict in South Ossetia, thanks to its self-respect, the US plunges both itself and its allies into desperate utopia. The anti-Russian media response is understandably hysterical. It's not a cold war.

The tigre de papier is forced to reconsider its bloody way of spreading "democracy" and its "universal morality", and Mr. Putin will be remembered for that.

Thanks for nothing, the US. Thanks for The ICTY, in particular. And for the “democrats” Sanader and Mesic, too. The list is long… VoC will be editing it…

"Reconciliation" and "democratization" restoring communist ideologies in Croatia and its neighbor countries and the cult of their criminal leaders

THE WAY OF THE ICTY'S "RECONCILIATION" WHILE EXPLORING THE POST-WAR WOUNDS IN THE SO-CALLED BALKAN WARS HAS ALREADY DEPRIVED THE VICTIMS OF A GREAT DEAL OF THE PRESENT, AND OF THE FUTURE - IT BENEFITED ONLY THE EX- AND NEO-COMMUNISTS IN THE REGION

27 July 2008

Ivana Arapovic

The official reports on the capture of The Hague’s indictee Radovan Karadzic have little success in producing the ovations by the world’s public opinion, while the peoples who witnessed or suffered from Milosevic’s and his allies' wars prefer to recall Karadzic's war-time friendly encounters with western politicians and diplomats: Lord Peter Carrington, Malcolm Rifkind, Lord David Owen, Cyrus Vance, Bernard Janvier, Madeleine Albright, and so on and on (1) – to name just a few.

In the wartime, Karadzic and his western counterparts spoke the same language, a “diplomatic” one; but it seems today that he is the “worst” among Balkan war-lords, “worse than Milosevic”, the “intellectual architect” of the so-called Balkan wars, and deserves the “death penalty” according to Mr Richard Holbrook (2).

The western diplomats are speaking out, while the public opinion remains unmoved, most likely confused with the ICTY’s supposed great victory over the war criminals. He’s arrested, so what.

First, the ICTY got compromised by its particularly obvious political agenda in the “region” that resulted in a real purge of every political, intellectual and media voice against its delusional point making all parties in the region equally guilty, Serbs, Croatians and muslims. Its demands purged the region of fundamental freedoms and sound political discussions in the public arena: even the journalists were tried in The Hague’s court. The worst of all: they installed ex- and neo-communists in the governmental offices in Croatia, in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina: they perhaps changed the ideological name and the coat, but the communist governmental practice got restored almost in full.

Hence, there’s no real rational analysis of the Karadzic case either in international or regional media, not to mention official political speeches, even though a simplest chronology should be able to establish the fact: Karadzic et al. were to be defeated in the wartime, but anyhow they were defeated in Croatian operation Storm 1995 (the entire Greater Serbia project received a death penalty during liberation of one third of Croatian territory, and another “Srebrenica” in Bihac pocket was prevented). What should, now at least, truly strike the mind of every logical person is the question why the Storm commanders are tried in The Hague, too!? Why they had to be “discredited” on demand of the ICTY? Without answering this question and undoing the injustice towards innocent Croatian generals who stopped the bloodshed (and stopped Karadzic, Mladic, Milosevic etc.) in Croatia and in Bosnia, when it really mattered, the hypocrisy of the so-called ICTY’s trials deserves the death penalty, too.

Next, the ICTY’s post-war intervention in the region – contrary to its announcement of reconciliation via truth and justice – delivered a decisive blow to an important post-Cold war process of opening communist archives and settling fundamental issues on communism and its key players, once and for all.

Even though the war victims would like to see Karadzic’s archives with which he’s been threatening former Balkan players from the West, it seems that the long-promised communist archives would not have caused less international turmoil… Karadzic’s capture cannot erase the fact that the ICTY has created “war criminal suspects” on the Croatian side, particularly among those who were not tainted by communist past, such as the Croatian greatest figure from a brilliant operation Strom, general Ante Gotovina, the former French legionnaire who was captured much earlier than Karadzic! It defies every justice to see Karadzic – next to him in The Hague.

Karadzic has no longer presented a national security threat or danger to Croatia or Bosnia (he could have been easily let to Serbia to try him), but the old communist elites and the old communist secret services still do across the entire region. Hence, Karadzic’s capture cannot change the fact that Croatia acts as having another obscure supra-national authority, if not a para-nation above its neck so that the former Yugoslav communist leader Tito and other communist criminals be more and more aggressively celebrated as great leaders in Croatia – the so-called “nationalists” being proudly suppressed by the Croatian leaders. Indeed, little remains that still can be recognized as Croatia in moral, ethnical or political respect.

As for Croatian authorities, it is evident from all their political and diplomatic discourse that they have no authority whatsoever in shaping Croatia, although they pride themselves in re-shaping the entire region and giving a good example to others. They seem to be satisfied with the empty glamour of their titles with no real significance, and with their colossal comfort, in contrast with fast-growing economic and social dependence of Croatia that’s living off huge loans from the European Union and the USA – reminiscent of former communist Yugoslavia, isn’t it.

Therefore, the international public opinion has little reason to get agitated by the pomp of arresting since long-time defeated Karadzic, but rather by the processes that the ICTY’s farce has created in the region.

"Reconciliation" and "democratization" are only restoring communist ideologies in Croatia and its neighbor countries, and the cult of their criminal leaders.

Finally, the communist tyranny is in origin of the Yugoslav army's and its paratroops' 1990s wars that the western press identified as “the bloodiest carnage in Europe since the second world war.”

Great forces, great powers, or great leaders celebrating Karadzic’s capture should be reminded that the victims of communist Yugoslavia or Greater Serbia ideologies prefer to be let in peace now – there was no their help when it was truly needed and that’s it. He can be tried elsewhere, better ever than never, but there’s an active danger operating via the ICTY trials that should be addressed: They restored only the communist spinning doctors and their cheap actors in the region and none should pretend that justice is delivered with Karadzic.

The communist ideology, whatever it’s renamed into today, delivered too much evil – but it still reigns. There should be some trial benches for its actors, too. At least as numerous as those in The Hague. Then, perhaps, some innocent people against whom no crime can be proven shall be liberated from The Hague; otherwise, the farce is only growing and will escalate in the conflict, once more. And who can take it, again.

Perhaps, this article will get us out of the box and give some direction to justice, should someone still believe in it in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, or Serbia, and in the international community, after all (if such entity can still be treated as functional.)

(1) The edge of madness, The Guardian, Wednesday July 23 2008

(2) Holbrooke: Karadžić zaslužuje smrtnu kaznu, Jutarnji list, 26.7.2008.

_____________________________

The Canadian media/readership response to the appearance of Gen Andrew Leslie against Croatia (Storm) at the ICTY (The Hague) was rather negative - and pretty fair. It transpired that he should not have gone there in Canadian military uniform and tarnish it with a false testimony and his suspicious medal issue.

In contrast, Croatia imposed the ignorance and silence on this theme - a couple of journalists excepted. Even the “mainstream” media blogs in Croatia prefer to avoid the issue, given that almost every media outlet falls under governmental control, while the government pledged to send to Afghanistan more Croatian troops – against whom Leslie “testified” in The Hague. The silence is preferred also because the government has robustly practiced an “unconditional cooperation” with The Hague’s tribunal for a long time, while it is regularly shown that the ICTY’s indictments against Croatian generals – General Ante Gotovina in particular – are annoyingly absurd, and entirely forged.

So, what Croatian top leaders and media were busy about over these critical days for Croatia, its partnerships and international cooperation?

Croatian readers can follow only Pukanic case. The owner of Nacional weekly is accused by his spouse and her supporters that he used the state infrastructure so to put her in a mental hospital when she tried to speak out about his putting her on, and supplying with cocaine, forcing her to admit other people in their bedroom, and about his corruption and infidelities. Croatian public, human right groups, government ministries and political parties are divided – taking the side either of his spouse who proved positive for cocaine, or her husband who has been at the core of assisting, through his domestic and international media networks, the government activities in Croatia for years. The rest would not interfere with Pukanic’s “private life.” And that’s all that the Croatian public should make up their mind about.

And yes, there is a new priority for Croatians, after the “unconditional cooperation” with the Hague and Croatia’s entry into the NATO and EU. “The most important is that the people appease their hunger,” announced Croatian prime minister.

It recalls the communist Yugoslavia “spirit.” My generation remembers the communist history book for the primary school in the 1970s and 1980s showing the picture of the working class, so dear to the communists, that is, the man from the early communist Yugoslavia standing sadly and holding a poster with his both hands, saying: “I am hungry. I am looking for job. I am doing everything.” Croatian government is trying to re-introduce it, although under their title, "It's time for the future."

Perhaps, not the food is a problem. Croatia was occasionally registering the surplus as soon as it got rid of the communist Yugoslavia, even in the wartime 1991-1995 years. But the national economic base is being depleted by insatiable politicians and their allies.

It has to do with Croatian international and domestic politics, especially at The Hague, unless Croatian politicians have the same masters as the communist Tito did. Like in the past, the people are impoverished and should only worry about the hunger; it’s all still important that remains.

The economy in Croatia has crumbled in consequence of continued treason and sudden materialism, in spite of so much readiness for sacrifice by the Croatian people in the defense war.

We can conclude the “reconciliation” in Croatia which was frequently promoted by both Croatian leading politicians and their supporters has failed. Croatians were not supposed to “divide” around The Hague issue, but to unite around the treason, while Croatians can freely divide now over their support for either the mighty journalist close to the government or his wife, and worry only about not being hungry….

An atheist would say it more elegantly than the head of the Croatian government: The need for food is primary… Or, more poetically: Food is the primary need for hawk and human.

Croatian people is entitled to the most primitive needs only. As for Croatia’s elites, they can afford cocaine even. And yes, there’s a lot of most primitive pornography in all Croatian media and campaigns. But it is all their entirely “private” thing, even when made public. They remain in power and choose who will replace them so to assure their “continuity.”

In Canada, however, we still discuss Leslie’s misadventure in The Hague. We can even say, the Canadian government and Leslie should not have believed their sources in Croatia and The Hague, and shouldn’t have sent the latter over there to “testify”… And we’ll say it, even if we should be hungry for it.

In Croatia, where the government and media decide what is important, the people are becoming both hungry and forbidden to voice their opinion on this issue.

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THE AMERICAN DREAM IS OVER : It is not a Cold war! IN THE US HOUSE OF WAR - St Augustine or St Aquinas vs. Founding fathers UN Meetings Sastanci s VS UN NATO/Mr Bush or Croatia: "OR-OR" Mr. Bush's visit to Croatia PRISEGA HAAŠKIH VOJNIKA U RH HDZ is not Croatian religion, Sanader is not Croatian God The conspiracy against Croatia, Europe? HDZ’s forgery or not? – Bilaver and Bush in Croatia’s electoral campaign My contribution to Sanader’s electoral campaign?! Hornless in NYC, Horned in Croatia Guess who ICTY & VUKOVAR: Licence to Murder, Licence to Betray Forgotten Victims Trouble with Sanader: Have the NATO countries betrayed their generals…. Former Yugoslavian capital Belgrade moved to Zagreb and The Hague CICAK’S “rather large” heroism made public ARCHIVE Jerry Blashovich on Communism Croatia & Bosnia -Herzegovina in The Washington Times War of Words (propaganda on Operation Storm) ICTY: Milosevic - Serbia Hague - US - Croatia Mysteries at The Hague VoC's Column (archive) Letters Dubrovnik after Yugoslav Army /Serbian Destruction (Photo VoC/I.A.) General Mirko Norac	Voiceofcroatia.net 2009 Global War Threat : From Balkan toponymie to antroponymie and vice versa Ivana Arapovic 22 October 2008 (Does Mr Galbraith admit that the US had a command responsibility during the Storm?) When the EU's enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn argues in Sarajevo, Bosnia, that 2009 could be the “year of the Western Balkans”, even a “crucial” year, the target countries in and around this “newly forged” toponyme get a cause for “profound reflection.” Bringing the “Western Balkan and Turkey into the EU fold” with their actual “standards” for “lobbying” so to solve his 2009 highlight issues: the financial crisis, the uncertain fate of the Lisbon treaty (Sarkozy: “No Lisbon treaty, no enlargement”), and the conflict in Georgia, must be well above the head of the “leaders in the Balkans and Turkey.” To put these issues in front of them as a “cause for profound reflection” while giving them a “positive note” is a poor encouragement for Europe to accept these “economic, domestic political and geopolitical costs.” This is particularly strange to hear at the moment when the policy of domestic protectionism has a wiser voice than a new series of false European promises to just all European nations (current or future EU members). Again, no one really knows what the “year of Western Balkan” will bring to the world. Why their military mismanagement in Georgia, bad financial mismanagement around the globe, and their anti-Christian “Constitution” should be our task – other than avoid it all together, by means of strengthening national security policy, and implementing economic protectionist policies, as well. (Next financial crash would be much worse). Mr Rehn says: “Croatia's accession negotiations are “proceeding well”, Montenegro's adaptation to EU standards is “proceeding normally” and Serbia's pursuit of an “ambitious reform agenda” makes it possible that the country could officially become a candidate for EU membership in 2009,” but the facts on the ground are telling more. (Western Balkans faces 'crucial' year, European voice, 10.10.2008) Finally, the newspaper that gives him the voice brings itself another side of story of Croatia’s “proceedings” – although biased to a certain degree, it gives some facts on the ground, far from “proceeding well”: The good, the bad and the messy). This article also shows that there was the EU pressure put on Croatian PM and the ministers in Zagreb so that they replaced 3 ministers following Hodak's murder – for they “fear the perception of Croatia as a country in the grips of organised crime.” Hence, would Mr Rehn be surprised to learn that the responsible ministers were thanked for their service? Who is behind this crime, indeed?* Nothing seems to bother either him or Mr Sanader since they’ve got their “millennium objectives”, all is going well for them, the latter only cares about what says the former (and Mr Barosso + NYC), and now even the “year of the Western Balkan” is approaching! What we’re to expect in 2009 then? Perhaps Mr Rehn will join this table, too: “It is perfectly normal in Croatia to see a politician and a top mobster dining in the same restaurant and sometimes they even greet each other politely. We won't eradicate the Mafia from the Croatian society as long as that's considered normal,” says a former chief of Croatian national police. (ibid) Hence, who’s really “mafia” here. Equally, Mr Galbraith doesn’t sound any more honest while saying that “Perhaps, it would be better if we let the Croats into Banja Luka [Storm, 1995]” while labelling now ex “Republika Srpska” leadership as “fascist and genocidal”, equally as their army. (Galbraith: Možda bi bilo bolje da smo Hrvate pustili u Banja Luku, JL, 17.10.2008) Croatian forces were ordered to stop in front of Serb-held Banja Luka stronghold during Croatian liberation operation “Storm”, but it was the end of Milosevic’s wars in Croatia and Bosnia, nevertheless. Milosevic joined the Dayton negotiations afterwards. Mr Galbraith’s statement brings up a few issues: (1) Why the Serbs were given half of Bosnia-Herzegovina almost as in recompense after the Storm (via Dayton accords)? Is anyone accountable for this? (2) If Mr Galbraith’s statements have honest objectives, why the “Storm” commanders are still imprisoned (ex., $5 mil US award was put on the head of Gen Ante Gotovina, accused for “command responsibility” in the Storm); why they’re not liberated instantly? It’s those guys who were stopped at Banja Luka (NW Bosnia). (3) Does Mr Galbraith admit that the US had a command responsibility during the Storm? This gives us a taste of the US accountability should they rule globally. The US judge (Meron) does sit in the Hague tribunal… Mr Galbraith statement shouldn’t make him any more sympa to the Croats as long as the innocent Croatian generals are imprisoned – for “command responsibility” etc. No one should buy that hypocrisy any more. In conclusion, it’s still just about removing ALL strong personalities from the “Western Balkan” – obviously some still remaining in “Republika Srpska”, so that Mr Galbraith’s and Mr Rehn’s “elites” can proceed with messing up the entire Europe in 2009. From toponymie to antroponymie and vice versa – it always ends with the same people on the top. To see which messiahs they obey as blindly as Croatian top government obeys to them, obviously we need to see who’s behind their “issues”: behind the South Ossetia and Georgia crisis, behind the programmed (first phase of) global financial breakdown, behind the “global” (or sometimes “European”) rules, and the “freedoms” of which narrow groups they are serving etc., etc. But they don’t seem to be uncomfortable at all with their inherent paradoxes. How will they act in their 2009 year? Finally, does anyone ever wonder what do all those foreign guys do over there, in the “Western Balkan”, all these years? Keeping the mafia-lobbying-style politicians in power so to dominate the region? Give them the orders as to whom to remove from, and whom to place in position of influence? And pretend all is “proceeding well”? As if they see nothing on the ground, the internal chaos worse than that of so-called “cold war” is only deepening in every country wherever they manoeuvre. As if they wanted it so... Some expect that even Mr Obama, after he wins at the US election (as if it were already decided; let’s not doubt this “predictable democracy”), will deal closer with the “Balkans”. Croatian ruling party HDZ used to be openly lobbying for “giving everything to the Americans” anyhow. But we should put the “Americans” under quotation marks here so to give some credit to their messianic advisors as well. By all evidence, there are sad prospects for the future that was promised to the ex-communist countries by their “leaders”. These countries are projected as serving as polygons for new “Georgia’s” or new “Bosnia’s” or new “Kosovo’s”, and for new “Constitutions”, new financial crisis…. And, they perhaps, play already for a new global government, or a new global war – the latter being, however, more realistic…. In short, it will indeed get worse. And what will Russia do then? In 2009. Let’s pray together, so that these foreign “elites” in Sarajevo and Zagreb etc. get busy with something else, so that we sit and watch their “issues”, as they did during the “Western Balkan”** wars. ____________ * It becomes quite suspicious how the author in The good, the bad and the messy names the potential murderer group of Hodak: To an ordinary reader who’s not close to either Petrac or Zagorec lobby, it seems equally possible that she was killed by either side. It’s quite obvious who runs Zagreb today… Political mafia with global reputation. Our "best lobbyists” as they like to call themselves. “Western Balkan” as a geopolitical term was forged after the wars, however, and I don’t subscribe to it, of course. Croatia is for me still in Europe, whatever they pretend to do so to bring it in. _____________________________ VoiceofCroatia.net DROIT DE PAROLE The "American Dream" is over It is not a Cold war!** 2 Sept 2008 Ivana Arapovic HRVATSKI _____________________________ Commentaire _____________________________ The Cold war is over. Yes, long ago. So is the "American Dream" which has never come true for most nations under American foreign policy drive. Like in underworld, the American hidden hand has caused lasting consternation and confusion, with a happy ending for the unscrupulous traitors and cheap political figures alone in the cradles of nations affected by its "messianic hope". This is particularly true for the ex-communist countries that relied, unconditionally, on the American support at reasserting their long-awaited freedom and independence. The American political advices where mostly contrary to what the Americans practiced at home. As a result, such states are the caricature of American politics today. They are run by poorly transparent American intermediaries who support, as by rule, the ex-communists and incompetent leaders, by painting them into neo- or reformed democrats, encouraging them to purge from the state offices and persecute the true heroes and liberators. Obviously, certain narrow interest groups in the US foreign offices had no interest in fair partnership and cooperation, and were only looking for obedient traitors, to whom they offered to be "heroes" like tigres de papiers, and a true ennui for the peoples in such states. The result is, the US has no longer credibility in the world, the element so much praised by the US policy makers. Croatian example – "a successful experiment" for the American foreign policy players –gives sufficient, and morose evidence for these statements. Like Dostoyevsky's "Underground (Underworld) man", they encouraged the Croatian politicians to act in a manner "I should persecute anyone who would not show me respect." Ivo Sanader, Croatian prime minister, has the longest record of abuses of power, with full support of the US, especially since he decided to "credit" his government with betrayal of the Croatian national heroes (even the former French Foreign Legion soldier, general Ante Gotovina!) and extradited them to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), some of the bravest being imprisoned in Croatia. Since then, there's no national policy of Croatia. PM Sanader's and President Mesic's stated objectives being an utopian dream of "joining the NATO and EU" but resulting in a non-transparent "Mediterranean union" membership, for which Croatian people gave them no mandate. Apart from this, they publically claimed that their dream was to "democratize" Serbia, which was their objective under the US guidance, of course. There are no other national objectives in sight, and no "wellbeing" out of their concept of "being" in politics. Such politicians are promoted as "democratic" allies by the US. Although the Americans did support Croatian offensive (Storm 1995), subsequently, the US Administration put price on head of its top commanders ($5 million!), while admitting the US support only as much as it is necessary to impose Mr George W. Bush as "liberator" and defender of Croatia and allow him to recruit Croatian soldiers for his global wars. Unscrupulous traitors in Croatian top offices define themselves today in terms of "McCains and Obamas". This is the only logic still remaining within the Croatian ruling party (HDZ), to the leaders of which Croatian history reserves the place of traitors of Croatia and its Homeland war heroes, in spite of their colossal decorum in which they ineptly portray themselves as "World" or "European" politicians, be it "McCain" or "Obama". "HDZ needs McCain… ", claims the HDZ politician so to express HDZ's support for the current PM Ivo Sanader, while identifying as "Obama" another politician whom this party wishes to integrate so to erase every opposition to a national treason, to be sure. To join HDZ's "McCains-Obamas" is kind of a protection in Croatia against the vicious prosecution; hence, the opposition politicians are better to be quiet and obedient. The cowards. ("HDZ-u treba McCain [Mr Sanader], a ne Obama", JL, 31 August 2008) Indeed, all that's left of Croatia today is "Bush, McCain, Obama" – and, what a "surprise", Mr Biden. Croatian Catholic priest in the US who claims to be his advisor for years, gets involved in his campaign! (Hrvatski fratar savjetovao Joea Bidena", JL, 25 Aug 2008) Dostoyevsky might teach them some magnanimity, if the Second Vatican Council failed to do so. Sadly, no one among these "elites" spoke so loud against treason of Croatian wrongly accused war-time heroes in The Hague. Neither do they speak today of saving the honor of Croatia by bringing them home. Their entire honor is in the US-approved political constellations, preferably within HDZ, a proven traitor. Thus, it is not surprising that in Croatia the true heroes are fully replaced by the American false ones, false at least in respect of Croatia. Croatian elites position themselves along the US politicians who lead the same foreign policy. They even bring traditionally anti-Croatian "elites" to write yet unwritten "scenarios" for Croatian politics, Croatian history, including the military one, and to make the movies on it, which must make uncomfortable all those who lived it through. But they will erase the memory, too. We will "forget everything". (Not, really!) For this, Croatians had to tolerate the betrayals imposed via HDZ- ICTY joint criminal venture. Every opposition, even when heard, quickly ended up in a dead silence. No campaign with the US allies was successful either – even Russians showed more subtlety and elegance towards Croatian quests for justice. One is allowed to praise a soldier only in Mr Bush's wars in Irak, Afghanistan and so on and on, but not in the interest of one's own nation. The global anti-American mood, which HDZ elites weirdly ignore, is due to destruction and utopian "reconstruction" of a new, messianic kingdom that denounces all national values and tradition. Via so-called "reforms", they destroy every devoir de mémoire, they destroy the best among the people, and then they forget them. Their politics are invisible, their revisionism ruthless: They spare no value vital to a national survival; their heroes are lazy and fake. They leave no stable ground for a single truth. Croatian "American dream," marked by shocking irresponsibility and luxurious inertia of the Croatian government, is deeply stamped by the US official approval, and the "hope" is truly the last thing their people still wishes to hear. It can only irritate. But the soul of Croatian people – the noble nation (pope Jean Paul II) – got caught in their inertia. Most Croatians are paralyzed and do too little. They just obey, but their silence cannot hold for long. For there is no American dream at all – it has all features of former communist repression. We should not forget that the US foreign policy makers supported communist leader Josip Broz Tito, as well, whom they generously financed until his very end. (Histoire de la Croatie: "Croatie, sentinelle de l'Occident", Christophe Dolbeau) A "Croatian experiment" should not succeed in other European states; it would be tragic for Europe. However, bien-pensant Mr Sarkozy of France, portrayed in the US media as "Europe", rushes on the frail US wings and repeats Croatian "successful" scenario in France: He clashes with his armed forces, announcing million reforms and betraying even his most fervent voters. As long as he ruins French capacity of self-reliance in security and economic matters, he is praised by the US foreign policy makers. ("President Sarkozy lashes out at everyone", TimesOnline, 3 July 2008) He shows no respect for the French people's opposition to the European constitution, and tries to impose his narrow view even in other countries, such as Ireland, which voted against it at a referendum. ("President Sarkozy demands second Irish referendum on EU treaty, TimesOnline, 16 July 2008) (It's however strange to see that the British media gives Mr Sarkozy a stick, while the US – a carrot, but I haven't researched the background behind these articles, they're quickly picked via google). It is clear to us today that the American theories on the state governance, on democracy, on defense management, on ethics, and on the western-style politics overall(all of which I was perhaps one of the greatest fans) seem to have no more practical value than the Marxist ones. Such is, at least, the result of their implementation in other states. Perhaps, neither the American nation should be grateful for it to its policy makers or their advisors – it brings them no golden dreams anyhow, just the curse. It no longer works. It is evident from a new US- Georgia-Russia-South Ossetia conflict. This time, no one really believes in the "Cold war" connection that some try to re-establish. Apart from the rare and omnipotent "American allies", picked up by "invisible hand" of the US foreign policy makers among the most corrupted and cheap political figures, no one can enjoy a "sublime and beautiful" democracy transition in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, etc., accompanied by a cruel betrayal of the national heroes and a rude crack-down on opposition and independent media. After all, no one truly sees a "democracy spreading" in Irak, Afghanistan, etc. Only the bloodshed. But in Georgia, the story gets a different tune. Georgia's leader, too, was first encouraged by the US and allied advisors to smash the opposition and independent media in his country, only to lunch an all-out attack on South Ossetia later on– but unlike in the case of small European nations awaiting the "American dream", the truth is no longer difficult to discern. (See the article " This is a tale of US expansion not Russian aggression", Guardian, 14 August, 2008; Georgia War: A Neocon Election Ploy?, The Nation, 13 August 2008). The South Ossetia is nothing like the Serbia-Croatia "study case" where the Western public could not even discern, with confidence, from media, who attacked whom during the tragic war. Certainly, the US foreign policy needs a soul-searching of its own, and a close check by the American people, which is the American problem, in the end. But for many others, across the world, the "American dream" is an overcome illusion. It is better to be so. The US has done nothing to support justice and peace; it only looked to destroy the strong and patriotic leaders in other countries, in which it then imposed non-transparent authorities and weak domestic political figures. The Russian "Underground man" has finally recovered its soil and its national elements, and inspired a well-deserved respect among other nations so that they, too, act in their own interest. (See the article "Serious Mistakes by the West", Spiegel interview with Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, 18 August, 2008) While the US "Underground man" – it is clear to us – is slapped in the face, he is naïve, a "complete failure". Contrary to all expectations. On the global scene, the US acts as anonymous dictator, with a messianic hope that runs its allies in their ruin, and perhaps even the US. It seems that the Western nations need to reassess what they were taught on Russia. While today, Russia faces the favorable facts on the ground, stopping the conflict in South Ossetia, thanks to its self-respect, the US plunges both itself and its allies into desperate utopia. The anti-Russian media response is understandably hysterical. It's not a cold war. The tigre de papier is forced to reconsider its bloody way of spreading "democracy" and its "universal morality", and Mr. Putin will be remembered for that. Thanks for nothing, the US. Thanks for The ICTY, in particular. And for the “democrats” Sanader and Mesic, too. The list is long… VoC will be editing it… _____________________________ VoiceofCroatia.net Karadzic arrested – So what "Reconciliation" and "democratization" restoring communist ideologies in Croatia and its neighbor countries and the cult of their criminal leaders THE WAY OF THE ICTY'S "RECONCILIATION" WHILE EXPLORING THE POST-WAR WOUNDS IN THE SO-CALLED BALKAN WARS HAS ALREADY DEPRIVED THE VICTIMS OF A GREAT DEAL OF THE PRESENT, AND OF THE FUTURE - IT BENEFITED ONLY THE EX- AND NEO-COMMUNISTS IN THE REGION 27 July 2008 Ivana Arapovic The official reports on the capture of The Hague’s indictee Radovan Karadzic have little success in producing the ovations by the world’s public opinion, while the peoples who witnessed or suffered from Milosevic’s and his allies' wars prefer to recall Karadzic's war-time friendly encounters with western politicians and diplomats: Lord Peter Carrington, Malcolm Rifkind, Lord David Owen, Cyrus Vance, Bernard Janvier, Madeleine Albright, and so on and on (1) – to name just a few. In the wartime, Karadzic and his western counterparts spoke the same language, a “diplomatic” one; but it seems today that he is the “worst” among Balkan war-lords, “worse than Milosevic”, the “intellectual architect” of the so-called Balkan wars, and deserves the “death penalty” according to Mr Richard Holbrook (2). The western diplomats are speaking out, while the public opinion remains unmoved, most likely confused with the ICTY’s supposed great victory over the war criminals. He’s arrested, so what. First, the ICTY got compromised by its particularly obvious political agenda in the “region” that resulted in a real purge of every political, intellectual and media voice against its delusional point making all parties in the region equally guilty, Serbs, Croatians and muslims. Its demands purged the region of fundamental freedoms and sound political discussions in the public arena: even the journalists were tried in The Hague’s court. The worst of all: they installed ex- and neo-communists in the governmental offices in Croatia, in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina: they perhaps changed the ideological name and the coat, but the communist governmental practice got restored almost in full. Hence, there’s no real rational analysis of the Karadzic case either in international or regional media, not to mention official political speeches, even though a simplest chronology should be able to establish the fact: Karadzic et al. were to be defeated in the wartime, but anyhow they were defeated in Croatian operation Storm 1995 (the entire Greater Serbia project received a death penalty during liberation of one third of Croatian territory, and another “Srebrenica” in Bihac pocket was prevented). What should, now at least, truly strike the mind of every logical person is the question why the Storm commanders are tried in The Hague, too!? Why they had to be “discredited” on demand of the ICTY? Without answering this question and undoing the injustice towards innocent Croatian generals who stopped the bloodshed (and stopped Karadzic, Mladic, Milosevic etc.) in Croatia and in Bosnia, when it really mattered, the hypocrisy of the so-called ICTY’s trials deserves the death penalty, too. Next, the ICTY’s post-war intervention in the region – contrary to its announcement of reconciliation via truth and justice – delivered a decisive blow to an important post-Cold war process of opening communist archives and settling fundamental issues on communism and its key players, once and for all. Even though the war victims would like to see Karadzic’s archives with which he’s been threatening former Balkan players from the West, it seems that the long-promised communist archives would not have caused less international turmoil… Karadzic’s capture cannot erase the fact that the ICTY has created “war criminal suspects” on the Croatian side, particularly among those who were not tainted by communist past, such as the Croatian greatest figure from a brilliant operation Strom, general Ante Gotovina, the former French legionnaire who was captured much earlier than Karadzic! It defies every justice to see Karadzic – next to him in The Hague. Karadzic has no longer presented a national security threat or danger to Croatia or Bosnia (he could have been easily let to Serbia to try him), but the old communist elites and the old communist secret services still do across the entire region. Hence, Karadzic’s capture cannot change the fact that Croatia acts as having another obscure supra-national authority, if not a para-nation above its neck so that the former Yugoslav communist leader Tito and other communist criminals be more and more aggressively celebrated as great leaders in Croatia – the so-called “nationalists” being proudly suppressed by the Croatian leaders. Indeed, little remains that still can be recognized as Croatia in moral, ethnical or political respect. As for Croatian authorities, it is evident from all their political and diplomatic discourse that they have no authority whatsoever in shaping Croatia, although they pride themselves in re-shaping the entire region and giving a good example to others. They seem to be satisfied with the empty glamour of their titles with no real significance, and with their colossal comfort, in contrast with fast-growing economic and social dependence of Croatia that’s living off huge loans from the European Union and the USA – reminiscent of former communist Yugoslavia, isn’t it. Therefore, the international public opinion has little reason to get agitated by the pomp of arresting since long-time defeated Karadzic, but rather by the processes that the ICTY’s farce has created in the region. "Reconciliation" and "democratization" are only restoring communist ideologies in Croatia and its neighbor countries, and the cult of their criminal leaders. Finally, the communist tyranny is in origin of the Yugoslav army's and its paratroops' 1990s wars that the western press identified as “the bloodiest carnage in Europe since the second world war.” Great forces, great powers, or great leaders celebrating Karadzic’s capture should be reminded that the victims of communist Yugoslavia or Greater Serbia ideologies prefer to be let in peace now – there was no their help when it was truly needed and that’s it. He can be tried elsewhere, better ever than never, but there’s an active danger operating via the ICTY trials that should be addressed: They restored only the communist spinning doctors and their cheap actors in the region and none should pretend that justice is delivered with Karadzic. The communist ideology, whatever it’s renamed into today, delivered too much evil – but it still reigns. There should be some trial benches for its actors, too. At least as numerous as those in The Hague. Then, perhaps, some innocent people against whom no crime can be proven shall be liberated from The Hague; otherwise, the farce is only growing and will escalate in the conflict, once more. And who can take it, again. Perhaps, this article will get us out of the box and give some direction to justice, should someone still believe in it in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, or Serbia, and in the international community, after all (if such entity can still be treated as functional.) (1) The edge of madness, The Guardian, Wednesday July 23 2008 (2) Holbrooke: Karadžić zaslužuje smrtnu kaznu, Jutarnji list, 26.7.2008. _____________________________ VoiceofCroatia.net BACK TO THE PAST “I am hungry, I am looking for job, I am doing everything” History in Communism (“Gladan sam. Trazim posao. Radim sve.”) 27 April 2008 The Canadian media/readership response to the appearance of Gen Andrew Leslie against Croatia (Storm) at the ICTY (The Hague) was rather negative - and pretty fair. It transpired that he should not have gone there in Canadian military uniform and tarnish it with a false testimony and his suspicious medal issue. In contrast, Croatia imposed the ignorance and silence on this theme - a couple of journalists excepted. Even the “mainstream” media blogs in Croatia prefer to avoid the issue, given that almost every media outlet falls under governmental control, while the government pledged to send to Afghanistan more Croatian troops – against whom Leslie “testified” in The Hague. The silence is preferred also because the government has robustly practiced an “unconditional cooperation” with The Hague’s tribunal for a long time, while it is regularly shown that the ICTY’s indictments against Croatian generals – General Ante Gotovina in particular – are annoyingly absurd, and entirely forged. So, what Croatian top leaders and media were busy about over these critical days for Croatia, its partnerships and international cooperation? Croatian readers can follow only Pukanic case. The owner of Nacional weekly is accused by his spouse and her supporters that he used the state infrastructure so to put her in a mental hospital when she tried to speak out about his putting her on, and supplying with cocaine, forcing her to admit other people in their bedroom, and about his corruption and infidelities. Croatian public, human right groups, government ministries and political parties are divided – taking the side either of his spouse who proved positive for cocaine, or her husband who has been at the core of assisting, through his domestic and international media networks, the government activities in Croatia for years. The rest would not interfere with Pukanic’s “private life.” And that’s all that the Croatian public should make up their mind about. And yes, there is a new priority for Croatians, after the “unconditional cooperation” with the Hague and Croatia’s entry into the NATO and EU. “The most important is that the people appease their hunger,” announced Croatian prime minister. Of course, the NATO missions take a lot of energy and resources… It recalls the communist Yugoslavia “spirit.” My generation remembers the communist history book for the primary school in the 1970s and 1980s showing the picture of the working class, so dear to the communists, that is, the man from the early communist Yugoslavia standing sadly and holding a poster with his both hands, saying: “I am hungry. I am looking for job. I am doing everything.” Croatian government is trying to re-introduce it, although under their title, "It's time for the future." Perhaps, not the food is a problem. Croatia was occasionally registering the surplus as soon as it got rid of the communist Yugoslavia, even in the wartime 1991-1995 years. But the national economic base is being depleted by insatiable politicians and their allies. It has to do with Croatian international and domestic politics, especially at The Hague, unless Croatian politicians have the same masters as the communist Tito did. Like in the past, the people are impoverished and should only worry about the hunger; it’s all still important that remains. The economy in Croatia has crumbled in consequence of continued treason and sudden materialism, in spite of so much readiness for sacrifice by the Croatian people in the defense war. We can conclude the “reconciliation” in Croatia which was frequently promoted by both Croatian leading politicians and their supporters has failed. Croatians were not supposed to “divide” around The Hague issue, but to unite around the treason, while Croatians can freely divide now over their support for either the mighty journalist close to the government or his wife, and worry only about not being hungry…. An atheist would say it more elegantly than the head of the Croatian government: The need for food is primary… Or, more poetically: Food is the primary need for hawk and human. Croatian people is entitled to the most primitive needs only. As for Croatia’s elites, they can afford cocaine even. And yes, there’s a lot of most primitive pornography in all Croatian media and campaigns. But it is all their entirely “private” thing, even when made public. They remain in power and choose who will replace them so to assure their “continuity.” In Canada, however, we still discuss Leslie’s misadventure in The Hague. We can even say, the Canadian government and Leslie should not have believed their sources in Croatia and The Hague, and shouldn’t have sent the latter over there to “testify”… And we’ll say it, even if we should be hungry for it. In Croatia, where the government and media decide what is important, the people are becoming both hungry and forbidden to voice their opinion on this issue. ________________ VoiceofCroatia.net NATO/Mr Bush or Croatia: "OR-OR" IA 29 Mar 2008 Mr. George W Bush is visiting Croatia on 4 Apr 2008. Croatian government promised him to make the idea of the NATO attractive to Croatians who preferred to be defended by their own armed forces (instead of shipping them to The Hague etc.). A mass media campaign is being on for about 2 years and it reached its peak [1]. Today, in all major Croatian media you can only hear about “criminal” Croatian generals, "great support” for NATO, and so on and on. 4 persons killed under tragic and unclear circumstances in Zagorje, Croatia: Ret. Gen Korade’s war-time friend, the man who stabbed Korade prior to the war and Croatia's independence, and an elderly woman with her grandson; 300-500 members of special police are looking for the general Korade (Ret.) for he “might know” something about these crimes. So far, no other indication about his involvement has been provided, nor the connection between these crimes shown. The neighbor countries are offering to “help” hunt the man who was not found at his residence. He did enjoy a disputable reputation after the war and proved to be a handy media “tool” to denigrate all Croatian volunteers. The media fires against all that wore Croatian military uniform in the war at the high ranks, Croatian volunteers are being stigmatized as never before. The crime that happened and the way it was executed by firearms and knives, in an atrocious way, was actually the everyday manus militaris of the Yugoslav army and Serbian paramilitary units (Chetniks) against Croatian population in 1991-1995 but it wasn’t proper to write/speak about it ever after, for we would be “spreading the hatred”, “the past had to be forgotten”, “we should turn to the future”, the peace with the Serbs is a must. But when it’s to denigrate Croatian volunteers, every incident is translated onto entire Croatian volunteer population. It cannot be serious. If the connection of the Homeland war and all that goes wrong in Croatia may be established so irresponsibly (even if the former Croatian war volunteer decided to take “justice” into his own hands in a private encounter), then, one can also speculate about the link between the general media campaign against ALL Croatian war-time generals (who were on the battlefield) and the arrival of Mr Bush to Croatia. But let’s not speculate like Croatian media. Let’s turn to the “bright side” and to the NATO. Mr Bush says he will not install permanent military bases in Croatia and media translates it into “There will be no military basis in Croatia” (so to calm the population who also wants to preserve the most beautiful coast and islands in Croatia as well as their own military basis under Croatian control). So there will be the military bases, yes or no? Permanent or not? [2] The government refuses to hold a referendum about this issue. The NATO entry does not have an impact on Croatian sovereignty, the prime minister explains. Hence, although there will be no “PERMANENT” bases, the government and Mr Bush are promising to Croatians the investment influx and prosperity. Croatian economy will flourish according to them. But, all studies in defense economics, empirical and all other research, show elsewhere in the world that the positive spillovers of military activity on domestic economy are occurring only in mid and long run, that is, if there’s a CONTINUED/permanent development/investment in the defense sector and, I would add, a good coordination between civil and military sector. However, such reasoning is pushed into the cheapest political polemics (and please don’t make us open the books, Mr Bush doesn’t like to read, it would be depressing), while the media and government brain-washing in Croatia won’t accept any rational. Our government and diplomacy know what is best for Croatia better than most Croatians and western experts…. They defy all science and practice. Croatians should get the access to the agreements Croatia is signing all these years. But it’s not possible nowadays. There was still some transparency in 1998 and we could ask some questions about the NATO, but not now. I recall asking a simple question on Croatian responsibilities and duties vs. those of foreign parties to which I have never received a response. Precisely, please, I have been wondering all these years what the “or” means in the articles stipulating the terms of Croatian international cooperation: “the stipulations of this agreement remain in vigor until the end of operation OR if the parties agree otherwise.” (Croatia MOD -NATO meeting of 1 Jun 1998) [3] It would be too much to ask which operation, when it ends, who the parties are, and whose interests they represent. Who benefits from the investments. Croatian responsibilities and concessions are a must, and truly endless, all the rest is “or”, “or.” This is a trademark of Croatian diplomacy (esp. in Dayton agreements etc.). Croatia is the country of wonders, indeed. A strange experiment. So far, the “or-or” in Croatian politics means: “Croatian war veterans or NATO/Mr Bush”, “Croatia or EU.” No Croatia. Who wouldn’t become wary of all this? Croatia still has not moved forward a single step since 1998. Backwards only. No transparency whatsoever. No objective facts. No truth. Just the lynch against Croatia for all occasions. If we recall that Yugoslav general Kadijevic, the Serbian war criminal, was offering the services to the NATO for the Balkans until just recently, we might get an idea what is going on. Or - we might never find out, to be sure. ________________ [1] Uniforma s mrljom - generali u ratu s pravosuđem Slobodna Dalmacija, 28.03.2008. [2] George Bush: Neće biti [STALNIH] vojnih baza na Jadranu, Jutarnji list, 27.03.2008 [3] “Odredbe ovog sporazuma ostaju na snazi do završetka operacije ILI ako se stranke drukčije dogovore”, clanak 22 Sporazuma, NATO dokumenti. NATO-RH, 1. lipnja 1998. _____________________________ Ps. HDZ's Frank Bilaver might finally get a snap... Voiceofcroatia.net Mr Bush's visit to Croatia: Gentlemen, message to The Hague, please? IA 02 Mar 2008 Although such visits are announced 1-2 weeks prior to taking place (our media says), Croatian public has the honor of learning the news somewhat early: Mr George W. Bush is visiting Croatia in April 2008. During his official visit to the US in 2006, Croatian prime minister Ivo Sanader tempted Mr. Bush to come to Croatia for its splendid coastline – and we won’t argue about the attraction of this proposal even when it’s made to the president of the largest military force in the world, or especially not then. Croatia is beautiful. There’s an entire media hassle of the announced security preparations that are already wheeling heavily onto Croatia and its fast-stirring deficit. Thus Croatia should be all agitated to receive Mr Bush so to forget the men who made it possible, in 1991-1995, by permanently defeating the Greater Serbia threat. No peaceful separation of Montenegro or Kosovo from Serbia would ever be possible either without Serbian capital defeat served by the Croatian Armed forces during the Storm 1995. Hence, shouldn’t Croatia be preparing to receive its heroes back? If they’re not good enough to be in Croatia, how Mr Bush could possibly be. He’s involved in quite controversial wars, unlike Croatia who only defended its soil. Why is Croatia tried still? Croatians supported many times Mr Bush and his political party, but he remained deaf par rapport of ridiculous accusations by the ICTY. His government had even put the price on the head of the most innocent western-trained Croatian soldiers against whom the ICTY pointed – based on the hardship of creating the accusations by the Serbian terrorists and criminals. Mr Bush has one last chance to correct it during his visit to Croatia. But it’s quite strange that this information on Mr Bush's visit was leaked by the “Western diplomatic sources” only to learn a little later that the former Croatian diplomat Ivan Grdesic expects Serbia to receive the message… What’s the message? Perhaps, “Serbia, if you don’t change, we’ll go on with Croatia?” Mr Grdesic is the same “Croatian” diplomat who argued over the past years in Washington D.C. that Serbia should take the lead in the region as Croatia was "strategically irrelevant." It cost him some protests from the Croatian American Association, and from many others. It’s possible that the traitor government of Croatia wants to send some message to Croatia too. Should the trial against Croatian generals build on the current of events preceding it, little good is to be expected. The government of Croatia might be only using Mr Bush to scare off the opposition that might upraise against the government when the unjust trials commence, and justify the huge security expenses in the wake of the trial against the Storm. All together, the timing of The Hague’s trial against Croatia and the Storm heroes (March 2008) and the fashion of announcing Mr Bush’s visit to Croatia (April 2008) leaves little space for optimism, unless the message is sent first and foremost to The Hague. Croatia wants its heroes back to Croatia, first and foremost. Otherwise, yet another paradox in Croatia would be a capital testimony of cheep domestic public relations and betrayal, as usual. Finally, the best message to Serbia – if that’s what the “western diplomatic sources” are honestly aiming at – would be bringing back home the innocent Croatia’s heroes from The Hague - and not only from The Hague. But they cannot even visit Croatia – although they freed Croatia. It would be only just and fair that they welcome foreign visitors in Croatia. _____________________________ Voiceofcroatia.net Love of power has no bounds in post-electoral Croatia IA 28 Nov 2007 [HRVATSKI] Croatian elections offered an empathic political landscape with only two parties in arena - HDZ and SDP - and there was no real contest during entire electoral campaign. HDZ scared off the voters by ideological revival in SDP so that the voters were put on general alert against a “greater evil” (SDP) and were invited to vote, in spite of all betrayals, for the lesser evil, HDZ. Apart from some isolated incidents with communist and Ustashe songs in the electoral camps of SDP and HDZ respectively, this “ideological battle” served as a smokescreen that wiped out all right-center parties from Croatian political scene, which lost their voters due to this false alarm. If the ideological battle were real, HDZ’s leader Ivo Sanader would remove Tito’s name from the most beautiful square in Croatia’s capital instead of Budak’s and Francetic’s monuments. On 14 Dec 2005, the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted resolution 1481, entitled “Need for international condemnation of crimes of totalitarian communist regimes,” but Sanader has never pronounced himself on this issue, not to mention putting it in place in Croatia. On other issues in this supposed ideological conflict, such as Croatian Diaspora’s votes and Catholic education in public schools, HDZ’s leader only washed his hands by saying these themes were “less important” right now so there was no real conflict here either. But it was somehow assumed that HDZ would be inclined to the Diaspora and to the Church (Tudjman’s heritage), that SDP would be against them, so the voters (not only from HDZ’s electoral base but also people that I used to know as rational) started proclaiming HDZ as our Saviour even! There’s little of Catholic spirit in all this, given that no man can be godish to such a point, but it sells well in a post-communist country without challenging this new HDZ’s doctrine! As for real themes and HDZ’s real accomplishments, there was no contest of different views whatsoever. HDZ carefully suppressed all opposition to his foreign policy not only from Croatian media but also from his opposition through the deal stipulating that those issues wouldn’t be a subject of discussion during the elections. While Sanader was entirely centered on, and directed by the “unconditional cooperation” with The Hague’s tribunal throughout his entire mandate and his only visible accomplishments in the field of foreign policy were pleasing everyone but Croatians, and sending Croatian soldiers to The Hague’s prisons and to Afghanistan, he somehow managed to marginalize these controversial and contradictory themes, until they completely disappeared at the peak of the electoral campaign, exactly when the majority of the voters were making up their mind. If we were deprived of the real contest, we get it at the end of the elections, at last! HDZ beats SDP by 10 seats but it runs equal chances as SDP for forming the government with the left-center parties, the only ones that still preserve some influence in Croatia’s political design. President Mesic refuses to give the mandate to either party until they prove that they can form the government. While he’s not in rush to make decision, our God-given Saviors are finally sweating to earn the position. The only coalition partner Sanader was able to secure so far is the representative of the Roma minority of Croatia, who is also favorable to the same-sex marriage legislation. It’s not a big surprise; however, a supposed conservative Sanader should have remembered his “ideological” color that was promising to secure him an ultimate victory over SDP’s liberal ideas. Love of power has no bounds though. There’s even the threat of rallies from HDZ’s ranks against Mesic’s hesitation to proclaim the winner, and SDP’s refusal to concede the victory to HDZ, even though Sanader put quite many limitations to such manifestations of people’s will since he distanced from General Norac, betrayed General Gotovina and other war-time commanders in Croatia’s war for independence. Meanwhile, the news from The Hague is bad. General Gotovina wasn’t approved awaiting his trial in home custody even though it’s been 2 years since he’s in prison with entire Croatia falsely accused. He's the man to whom our candidates should thank for having the opportunity to run electoral campaigns in free Croatia. And this reveals Sanader's accomplishments abroad: He's listened to only when he betrays his country, its heroes and liberation war, while he has built no other credentials or alliances for Croatia on the international scene. On the other hand, the Catholic Church in Croatia is not happy with the “lesser evil” and overall elections: The right-center parties completely disappeared, while there’s no real difference in HDZ’s and SDP’s agenda, and democracy deteriorated. The Church activists are considering the ways of making political parties accountable for their electoral promises to the voters, given their inherent tendency to betray them. While the egos keep escalating, and show what the entire contest is about (power and nothing else), we can only thank God Croatian politicians, Ivo Sanader in particular, are finally fighting hard for something in their life, and that something still doesn’t fall in their hands from heaven. They've never put an effort in fighting for some Croatian cause as fervently as for their positions now. Everything else remains the same anyhow. I’m not Mesic’s fan, God forbid, but he too did something good, for once in his life. Although, no one likes the fact that Croatian elections are in his pity – Croatians deserved at least as much as to see the real face of their prime minister or would-be prime minister, and some contest, at least after the elections. _____________________________ Voiceofcroatia.net UN Lesson Learned on Ivo Sanader: There's no such statesman-traitor in the world... IA 17 Oct 2007 [HRVATSKI] No statesman in the world would have ever sent his country's highest-ranking soldiers to the prison on demand of an international tribunal and then state that he is “pleased that the tribunal appreciates his cooperation…” No statesman in the world would take pride in the fact that his country “established” an international tribunal which tries its liberation military operations (Storm) for a “joint criminal enterprise” and “war crimes,” and furthermore, state that the “Tribunal’s mandate and mission have been achieved,” that “the peace has been restored and confidence is growing” – and especially not when the peace was achieved by the very operation (Storm) his tribunal put on its trial bench… No statesman in the world would have ever find in it a “precious lesson,” especially not at the moment when the only lesson learned in that Tribunal is that there is no justice. His tribunal – the ICTY - couldn’t even punish the worst Yugoslav Army and Serbian Chetnik butchers in Vukovar. If Vukovar – a symbol of Croatian suffering – received such “justice” – what "mercy" can we expect for the winning Operation Storm that ended all such sufferings in both Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and permanently defeated the aggressor? No statesman in the world would still promise a “full support” for an international tribunal that wronged his country as badly as the ICTY wronged Croatia, and thus block every action by other countries against its injustices by promoting it as a “vehicle for justice and for asserting the values of humanity.” The only “value” his tribunal asserted is the occupation, murder and destruction of Croatia and its people. Thus, the only concrete “value” that Ivo Sanader’s “vehicle for justice” (ICTY) accomplished” is a false indictment against Croatia and its liberators, General Gotovina in particular, who ended Milosevic’s, Karadžić’s, Mladic’s, and other butchers’ wars. The guilt was individualized only for Serbian war criminals, and for so few of them, while Croatia is on trial for “joint criminal enterprise” of ending their occupation. <

2009 Global War Threat :

From Balkan toponymie to antroponymie and vice versa

22 October 2008

Perhaps Mr Rehn will join this table, too:

Hence, who’s really “mafia” here.

Croatian forces were ordered to stop in front of Serb-held Banja Luka stronghold during Croatian liberation operation “Storm”, but it was the end of Milosevic’s wars in Croatia and Bosnia, nevertheless. Milosevic joined the Dayton negotiations afterwards.

Finally, does anyone ever wonder what do all those foreign guys do over there, in the “Western Balkan”, all these years?

Some expect that even Mr Obama, after he wins at the US election (as if it were already decided; let’s not doubt this “predictable democracy”), will deal closer with the “Balkans”.

Croatian ruling party HDZ used to be openly lobbying for “giving everything to the Americans” anyhow. But we should put the “Americans” under quotation marks here so to give some credit to their messianic advisors as well.

[1] Uniforma s mrljom - generali u ratu s pravosuđem Slobodna Dalmacija, 28.03.2008.