Dictator in the Hague, 4 July 2001
Dear friends,
Some of you are wondering what is happening to us and do we find ourselves confortably after ten years of constant struggle against forces of destruction but once again uneasy as our country fills up the World News.
Even today our ex-dictator in front of UN Hag Tribunal for war crimes, well aware of the global “media beast’s” amplifying effect, tried to use it by announcing his non-recognition of Tribunal, “because it has not been set up by General Assembly of UN but only by the Security Council”.
It really sounds unbelievable, - could this be the argument for 200 000 dead, 2 million refugees and destruction of reasonably good country of Yugoslavia (which needed changes, not destruction), etc. etc., devastated economy, impoverished people, humiliated nations, and Serbs most of all.
It sounds all ridiculous, but such a stupidity is not the least of our troubles.
The overall happiness with 5th October 2000 “revolution day” gradually faded away as the expectated changes scratched only the surface; they remained mostly symbolic (which is important in the long run) but the framework of our short lives makes them only cosmetic.
Mr Kostunica’s “legalist” argumentation in a society with long standing pathology, destructive lawlessness, Mafia rules deeply ingrained, sounds superficial. The social changes theorised by political annalist’s to be brought about by confronting “reforming” and “stabilising” forces puts the question: Stabilising what? Lawlessness, murder, steeling, criminality of all kinds, destructive forces which shaped the social structure (transitional process Balkan way) to which “legalist” argument gives chance to consolidate.
The chosen people (Milosevic’s close circle) exceedingly rich, (one has nothing against rich people but the question is who got rich and how) got also their popularity supported by hidden privatisation; even of housing(buying flats in good location for few dollars by ex-priviledged tennants) which concreted up the inertia of old socio-spatial structure and also much deeper pathologies.
The new set of laws by reformist government look to slow and weak (mouse against the elephant) and raises a wide suspicion that it would ever be implemented; how would be nationalised for instance TV stations which were producing hate speech and supporting kitsch subculture etc.etc.
Stabilising social structure of the society which produces Milosevics means stabilisation of “unsuitability producing machine”.
Otherwise we are in good health (but quite worn out), Milan has hundreds of students to attend, we both additionaly to our jobs and NGO activity lecture at Alternative Academic Educational Network, engaged in environmental action on various levels, many new visions are at stake, but at the moment one can hardly see the means.
Warmest regards,
Sonja and Milan
Sonja & Milan Prodanovic, Ecourban Workshop Belgrade, Supilova 11, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia, YU
tel/fax +381 11 750 876 - e-mail: ecourban@eunet.yu
Message 24 June 1999
Dear friends,
Seizure of NATO bombing relieved us here in Belgrade about the immediacy, but left us in a specific state of vacuum and with a great uncertainty about the future. We are choked by the pictures we receive via satellite TV dominated by horrible evidence of atrocities by Yugoslav militia and paramilitaries conducted in Kosovo, and withdrawal of YU armored vehicles with soldiers waving flags and bottles singing (on withdrawal !?). All combined with home TV full of congratulations "we won", medals to heroic generals and officers, and our dictator not concerned at all for being endowed for war crimes enthusiastically announcing the reconstruction of the country. Pleased that the monstrosities of the war are stopped make us concerned equally with retaliations, despite KFOR heavy presence, over Serbian civil population and Albanians in Kosovo which are called collaborators even by BBC commentator. After incredible bombardment, which as we envisaged didn't hit the regime, with bitterness we wander how one should name all of us who worked hard and a wit great courage, lobbying all this years, since summer 1991, for peace and right of voice of pluralistic multiethnic civil open society. We are the victims on the ground, expelled from the community by extremes of the regime, from the air by bombs (ecological and psychological impacts are catastrophic) and now international community imposes on us all the collective guilt and a consequent punishment by exclusion from any dialogue of NGO-s and academic
contacts.
All in all, this produces a really schizophrenic context in which we have to think our immediate tomorrow with no sugar in shops, no petrol on pumps and no money in pockets. It gets more depressing to think of coming summer with yet another year without any holidays and of approaching winter with no heating; and then what about prospects with status quo (lawlessness) institutions where we still earn our wages (read humanitarian aid), where new "patriots" are mushrooming. The first session of Yu Parliament after bombing one smells the internal exterminations, just proving how little the regime is hurt, but how disadvantaged are we, the seeds of otherness and a community which could generate reconciliation inside the country but more so across the region.
We then listen Mr. Clinton saying "no help to Serbia until dictator is in power", also stressing "we are not going to get him, you Serbian people should see how to achieve a change". The grim realty as poor country is getting poorer (and Serbia is devastated economically and financially) the change to liberal democracy is less likely, poverty produces distribution of misery and the economy of rationing, and hunta type authoritarian dictatorship with this finale of military intervention.
Of course one resists and considers the urge for a change either by free elections,- which means unfortunately within a framework of brainwashed xenophobic "patriotic" population who "have beaten NATO", without the free media to promote alternative (or at least to make people aware what happened), and without the control over ballot boxes and counting. Even if elections won the question is the seizure of power, as in 1996 local elections; the four political parties in power are actually the fractions of a single block, a continuation of single party system. The threshold of democracy has not been crossed.
The alternative and opposition parties are slowly consolidating but in three blocks: All fragmented with numerous leader dominated parties and NGO groups, disunited, disorganized (with no real resources to travel within the country to promote, even to have a reasonable premises). So even with a great dissatisfaction of vast majority of population about the real economic issues (with average income of metal worker of DM 41'8 a month, many work without any salary), the "patriotic" rhetoric like a drug dominates media and minds and we fear the future months.
The alternative to this, a much more constructive and legitimized, a visible support of intentional community to the alternative democratic forces, to provide long standing civic society active NGO-s, enclaves of
free media and alternative democracy promoting projects conceived even before the bombing started, and dispersed but not really ruined in these events.
But in this state of vacuum with all the focus just on Kosovo, the next catastrophe can happen in the core of the country, we fear that this scenario is not enabling us "to clean ourselves own house" but rater
that we will be swept away as well. We plea for understanding and for a strongly structured support. Sonja & Milan Prodanovic
Ecourban workshop
Supilova 11
11000 Beograd,
Serbia, Yu
Tel fax +381 11 750
e-mail: ecourban@eunet.yu
Belgrade, June 1st 1999 Dear Tulle, thanks for latest mail, It is now 5. in the morning we did not have the electricity all day yesterday, I do not know when will it o off again so I use the time. Please be free to uses our letters as you like, sign our full names, some of our letters were printed in England in some local labor papers, also we would be glad to promote Republika web site: http://www.yurope.com/zines/republika Day before yesterday we had a heavy missile explosion near our house, some windows jumped out in neighboring houses, our house is ecological and only ground floor, it was at 4 im the morning, Sonja jumped and neighbors ot out to the street, by it seems that I have a strong nerves, I carried on sleeping. At least we are testing our nerves. regards, Milan Sonja & Milan Prodanovic Ecourban workshop Supilova 11 11000 Beograd, Serbia, Yu Tel fax +381 11 750 e-mail: ecourban@eunet.yu
Mon, 31 May 1999 From: Milan Prodanovic Organization: NGO To: Tulle Elster Dear friends, Two weeks ago we sat down to write a "message form Belgrade" but.. we were caught up and paralyzed by shocking anxiety of diplomatic irrationality and with the strategy of imposing a collective, unexpected, random punishment from the sky, but equally from the state "patriotic" TV screens pointing to the "internal enemies". As it is clear on a 67th day of bombing that contradictions and possible disagreements between UN and NATO, how far should one go ignoring our plea from the very beginning to stop the bombing and to use the other more effective means to suppress this monstrous regime and its allies, the situation on the ground shows signs to become desperate, in building up another humanitarian catastrophe. So, it is getting harder and harder to understand the notions of "humanitarian help", concept of justice, etc.. as implemented by actions we are witnessing at the moment, actions allegedly intended to introduce democracy and a secure a lasting and stable peace in Balkans and reintegration of SEE region. The indictment of our dictator raises the same dilemmas struggling to understand the real effects of it to our lives and everyday patterns. Last ten years of war, sanctions etcÉ have produced numerous war criminals operating at a grass root level supported by state and cultural institutions and anchoring the atmosphere of long lasting lawlessness. Such an experience makes us doubt that the indicting the leader would mean much at all. Who is going to indict thousands more criminals and Mafioso business chiefs who emerged in last ten years of war and who are marking everyday life, shaping social patterns with aggression, fraud and main all kinds of crime a normal practice. The other "helpful" message, "bombing action is not against Serbian people, it is only against the regime", is just topping up the dilemma and making us getting used for the last two months of nightmare of daily routine of air raids sirens and bursting missile detonations all around, to state TV reduced to a sandwich news: layer of bombing and a layer of fake politicians, to civilian casualties explained as mistakes (collateral damage). The solidarity with people of Sarayevo of few years ago, and population of Kosovo now, makes us not complaining for inconveniences of not having electricity, no water in taps, for being reduced back to Neolithic fireplace culture. All of it could be bearable if we see the "light at the end of a tunnel". But the experience of Bosnia just does not indicate a light prospects, added by today's experience of the real course of events of fake "patriotic" slogans dominating our institutions, our places of work, our streets and squares. It is hard to face colleagues when attempting to mention democracy, market economy, ecology and human rights without being labeled as enemy's (western) agitator. It is even harder to understand the horrible rumors of possible finale of international security forces securing the return of Albanian refugees to Kosovo, while in Serbia dictator remains the main "guarantor" of peace besides the indictment. The example of considerations of realpolitik of Mr. Westerndorf does not give us much optimism: "Would peace be possible if we negotiated with Milosevic again? Certainly - but it would just as certainly be a short peace. It may appear that realpolitik requires that the international community deal with Belgrade, but that would be a short-term vision. Milosevic will not be able to afford the reconstruction of his bombed country without international help. That help - É. must be made conditional on a clear commitment from Belgrade to fully democratize the FRYÉ.." A well known disastrous scenario from the last ten years (Krajina, Bosnia, etc..) of destruction and human sufferings, of "governors of war" as chief negotiators and peace makers legitimizing thousands of little chiefs which penetrated institutions down to the grass root "demos" distorting the intended democratization process. Surely, the present scenario can not nearly be the best way to introduce democracy and the germs of civic society, not even save the expelled civilians in tents from the harsh winter? The same dilemma comes again when listening the rumors about the plan of fast recovery and reconstruction of Balkans, when observing the rapid changes every day on the ground, - the revival of forgotten people in the role of civilian defense activists, the peoples army protagonists, self security agitators etc.. as organized force marking the distribution patterns of war economy and money circulation. As the schools and universities do not work, and without the free media, the liberal intellectual elite is dispersed, meaning the systematic striping of free ratio and "idiotization" of society. That would not be helpful even to the goodwilling people in the West, except for the Mafia businessmen who make trouble even to the western societies. The recent talks about Structural Adjustment Plan for the Balkan economies, industry, infrastructure etc.. we are sure would not be successful without a considerations whiich would include a RECONSTRUCTION OF CULTURE. The thorough catharsis and a reconstruction should simultaneously include the renewal of University, the reform of the whole educational system on the lines of sustainable economy, civilized cities, elaborated civic life patterns with the projects to start in a wide and comprehensive partnerships within a multiple layers of European and Worlds institutions and networks, NGO-s, etc.. Still, even the effort of trying to understand is the sign of life. Sonja & Milan Prodanovic Ecourban workshop Supilova 11 11000 Beograd, Serbia, Yu Tel fax +381 11 750 e-mail: ecourban@eunet.yu
Date: Fri, 28 May 1999 From: Milan Prodanovic Organization: NGO To: Tulle Elster Dear Tulle, electricity just came and I jumped to see the post, concerning your letter, thanks a lot, of course I will read it all, I have the interest if electricity lasts that long, to print it. I run (out) of toner-ink and we are gradually getting short of paper also. Sonja and me have an invitation to go to some conference on Health and Environment (NGO Anped - Northern alliance for sustainable development), but I do not know in what way to get out of the country, of course I mean to return after few days, but military authorities say only for the state interest (who is to define it). Answering your question, who is the opposition in Serbia, there is no political life at the moment, independent media is closed some time ago, now even state TV (with all the war propaganda for very strong stomachs), political parties are mainly in standstill, democratic party mr. Djindjic (our coalition partner, - when I say we I mean Civic Alliance Party, but what is a party if we do not meet, just by phone in small groups, I am frequently in contact with Mr. Nebojsa Popov, you probably remember him from Tuzla, the Chief editor of Republika), democratic party is on heavy attacked, stoned by hooligans (paid by the regime). The best solution would be after the comprehensive Balkan conference organized by EU or UN, to establish some kind of protectorate which would enable a regular elections, by regular I mean to sort out the media, organize the round table, the institution we never had in ex Yugoslavia and which is a essential for transition. Then to elect a constitutional assembly to set up a constitutional law and a legal state, and only then, with such a framework to organize free elections. We can not talk of leaders, we need to change a system. Concerning Albanian victims, of course Sonja and me are deeply moved, but we have the experience of Srebrenica in Bosnia, and many other disastrous experiences, the endowment of Milosevic I feel is just a political game with Russians, we are surrounded with many more war criminals here in Serbia, but also Mr. Tudjman is no better and many others by the line of command to the top. Still, this endowment does not help us much, University does not work, bridges are smashed, electricity comes and goes and that is going to last not just this summer and we do not see the betterment. The experience of Bosnia after all the sufferings is not great, we have been in November in Zenica establishing a green network of Balkans, their life is awful despite all the sufferings and the presence of peace keeping forces, anyway, BICE BOLJE yours Milan Sonja & Milan Prodanovic Ecourban workshop Supilova 11 11000 Beograd, Serbia, Yu Tel fax +381 11 750 e-mail: ecourban@eunet.yu
Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 From: Milan Prodanovic Organization: NGO To: Tulle Elster Dear Tulle, thanks for your letters and various articles, I am eager to read all reasonably good comments on Serbia from democratically minded people in the world, although there is a lot of it at the moment. I am very busy with various things, I try to have a good coment/article in every issue of Republika which still comes out and it is the only independent paper at the moment, as the regime probably thinks it is to intellectual and very few people reed it. Also, I have an old mother in Novi Sad, the city is heavily bombed all these days and I go there in a very tortuous way as bridges over Danube are smashed, I was there yesterday. Also, and that is my very important activity, a few professors who do not agree with the disastrous law on university started an alternative academic network, 300 students enrolled and I see that as the germ of our future University (if we get rid of Miloshevicis regime). By the way, you asked how can one get rid of it without bombs, - well, it is a long story, it last ten years, there were forces in ex-yugoslavia who were for transition to democracy, market economy, human rights etc.. they never got any meaningful support from the world powers, instead, the governors of war were the main negotiating subjects. The extremely complex national question in ex-Yugoslavia has never been seriously discussed but there has been a rush for early recognition of secessionist states etc... We believe that Miloshevic is most responsible for the war, instead into democracy, in order to maintain power of his lumpen-elite he pushed the country into the war but on the other sides there were also small Miloshevicis (small Marshall Titos) wowere helped to realize their power. I can go on but it is not time now as have to go to some meetings, times are very dynamic, even this morning we had sirens, luckily we have electricity now. I am glad to have communication with you, I will put you on my mailing list although I have not written the messages lately. Sonja & Milan Prodanovic Ecourban workshop Supilova 11 11000 Beograd, Serbia, Yu Tel fax +381 11 750 e-mail: ecourban@eunet.yu
Date: Wed, 26 May 1999 From: Milan Prodanovic Organization: NGO To: tulle.elster@peacelink.nu Dear Tulle, it is nice to reestablish contact, for a start have some messages we have been sending in the last two months since this crazy bombing started, I did not send you a message immediatelly after you phoned as even now we have an air raid siren and jet plains flying over Belgrade with an antiaircraft fireworks and detonatons at a distance. yours, Milan Prodanovic Message 27th March 1999 Dear friends, We are witnessing at this very moment the military action of NATO over Yugoslavia (rockets and bombs are bursting around us in Belgrade every minute while we sit in our basement studio with E-mail). As we have already stated on many occasions such an action of bombing will only strengthen the present disastrous regime. The military intervention will be misused by the regime's media to create a "stampedo" xenophobia and give additional impetus to already growing extreme nationalism. The UN sanctions helped only the junta group to accumulate greater financial and property power over the rest of the local community, war criminals have not been even caught and not sued by Hague tribunal which is more then inefficient. Money laundering via Cyprus banks and elsewhere, and other Mafia type of activities which we are sure could be stopped by the West, have not even been tackled. Human sufferings and disaster will continue and even worsen. The evil can not be fought with a negative action of bombing and more sanctions, but only by the positive engagement in improving communication and free media, and by the greater support to democratic forces and individuals which still exist in Serbia, which kept alive the solidarity and support to the similar groups in the newly created states in the region even during the most dramatic moments. The only effective way for the real democratization is not by "from above" diplomacy with bombing and hi-tech action from a distance, but with a much more concrete, intensive, efficient activities on the ground and in the "grass route" environment. And with a much stronger visible support for democratic forces (peace activists, credible and respected highly professional individuals and independent intellectuals who stood against the war crimes since the beginning of social restructuring, articulated NGOs lobbying for civil society issue, independent media, democratic political parties). We strongly believe that bombing of military targets in Serbia will not achieve a desired changes towards the stability and a real democratization in Balkans (and ex-Yu). The source of the real trouble are the junta type of nationalistic regimes in Belgrade, Zagreb and elsewhere (including the Albanian tradition of tribal nontolerance) and in other regional centers were a post-communist "monarchs" engaged in the national-communism adventures. Recent elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina are the sad profile of the dominance of the nationalistic forces despite the terrible human sufferings during the civil war, and despite the considerable political, military and humanitarian involvement of the international community. The transition pattern in Balkans (and elsewhere) took a disastrous route due to a complete failure of the way in which it as been handled and managed from the centers of power. Instead of giving an adequate support (integrative economic/banking/market/cultural/ institutional etc..) to improve however slim democratic standards and civilization achievements and remains of the multicultural society (not completely destroyed in the Yugoslav type of selfmanagement socialism), the international community negotiated with (and in that way recognizing them) the "governors" of war. Sonja & Milan Prodanovic Ecourban workshop Supilova 11 11000 Beograd, Serbia, Yu Tel fax +381 11 750 e-mail: ecourban@eunet.yu
Message 24th April 1999 Dear friends, The everyday life in Belgrade for majority of us is really becoming more and more unreal/surreal with detached meanings from senses, some kind of post-modern war game experience. As these pilots in sophisticated jet planes in the sky also detached from targets seen only on the screen, as some exam questions on which they gave relatively precise answers so far, made us on the ground also detached, living a relatively normal life, going to market, to shops, going by public transport to city center, seeing friends and having meetings in small groups, getting even used to a regular daily siren sound and detonation of explosions at a distance. Additional detachment comes with listening radio Free Europe, and what an abstraction, we hear from Prague about destruction of parts of our city or other cities in Serbia. We listen about barracks, bridges, security forces headquarters smashed, or by mistake (in the end the unperfect man still commands the technology) some housing areas or columns of poor Albanian refugees trying to reach safety. We hear dictator's home is also hit, as if someone is joking with us, making us believe that one thought he will be at home, or was it just a symbolic action. Also, the assault to regime's TV headquarters made some poor young security guards and other junior technicians staff tragically killed, while the editors appeared over ruins an hour later shouting in front of cameras against the NATO aggressors. Tragedy and hypocrisy? How can one believe now to Mr. Clinton's message (communicated by leaflets thrown from the plain, today, in the era of internet and satellite TV): "America is not against Serbian people, the bombing is only against the regime". Is the bombing the way to get rid of the regime all these years; surely it can not nearly be the best answer? How can we then believe to promised and a good willing reconstruction help? It is very hard to think of politics at this moment as we meet only in small groups. The war propaganda makes E-mails jammed with of all sorts of desinformation, even with E-mail our voices are outnumbered. The schools and universities do not work, the regime has taken up the streets and squares providing a populist mass happenings in "turbo-folk" music and the fake patriotic (read hatred, nationalistic, xenophobic propaganda) spectacles with enormous loudspeakers that the whole city center roars the aggression to our ears. Away from reality one can only try to think about a long term reconstruction of country, cities, economy.. The whole industry of Serbia anyway needed a full scale reconstruction, adaptation to contemporary post-modern, post-industrial requirements, to much of the production lines were for arms manufacturing or for some other military goods. A much more thorough reconstruction, not just the renewal of economy, jobs, infrastructure is needed and that includes the patterns of actions leading to a deep catharsis (maybe the German experience of denazification could be useful). It is hard to envisage at the moment the concrete sequences of RECONSTRUCTION OF CULTURE which is an ultimate goal and should be the first step. That includes the renewal of our University, the reform of the whole educational system on the lines of sustainable economy, cities, overall civic life; the projects we believe have to start in a wide and thorough partnerships within multiple layers of European and Worlds networks, NGO-s, involving all the good knowledge available within the region. To friends in Europe and in the World we appeal, we hear that along the usual type of humanitarian aid (food, hygiene etc.,) of course is needed, but there was never a great shortage of food in Serbia, also people managed to survive in difficult circumstances. What Serbia does need is more than pure survival, it needs a thorough Enlightenment, the set of processes which Europe passed through in previous centuries, but not the second-class subculture exports, but the genuine enlightenment program adapted to home reality. The modernization within the real-socialist project has been a failure, so a much deeper rethinking would mean clearing up of the numerous layers of thought burdenss. A promotion of patterns of selfliberation seeks the comprehensive program of education, only a good knowledge and understanding of the locality might lead towards the open society and sustainable democracy. Sonja & Milan Prodanovic Ecourban workshop Supilova 11 11000 Beograd, Serbia, Yu Tel fax +381 11 750 e-mail: ecourban@eunet.yu
Message 13th April 1999 Dear friends, What we were afraid of, just happened! The missile attack hit the passenger train causing civilian casualties. With the horror of Kosovo refugees and the assassination in the very centre of Belgrade of one of the leading journalists, initiators of independent media, the owner of the magazine "The European" etc., Mr. Slavko Curuvija (rest in peace!!!) by unknown murderers, is all adding to the spiral of violence. NATO planes and rockets from the sky, the retaliatory ethnic cleansing of Kosovo and now down to the "grass roots assassinations" of free media exponents makes us repeating and appealing for who knows how many times, about our ten years of our horrible experience of civil war. That experience just confirms that nothing worthwhile, and surely not democracy, has been, nor could be introduced by force, as one type of force produces different type of force, all bursting into a spiral of violence. The Kosovo crises (as well as the previous crises in Bosnia, Croatia etc.. were the questions of evolution of democracy in Serbia (and elsewhere) questioning again whether democracy can be at all introduced by that kind of forcefull intervention from outside. High tech "video war game" from a distance is answered with "door to door" action of paramilitary groups on the ground, homogenization of masses manipulated by mass media for too long period of ten years of all sorts of reactionary "brain washing" starting to show the results on the streets of our cities. But equally, the international community, mainly the peace making bureaucracy, failed to achieve in this long period even an understanding (not to mention their own disagreements and trade off's) complexity of this after all an European region. Parallel to this, the local democratic forces, peace activists and experts, along with elaborated grass-root NGO movement, trying to build a parallel civil, ecological society were almost ignored, marginalized or picked up as a "spice" to a different diplomatic and now the strategic conflict management. It is a desperate moment for a serious rethinking and emergency support to those who are still capable to contribute to bringing the peace, reconciliation and democracy to suffering civilians in the wider region. Sonja & Milan Prodanovic Ecourban workshop Supilova 11 11000 Beograd, Serbia, Yu Tel fax +381 11 750 e-mail: ecourban@eunet.yu
Message 5th April 1999 Dear friends, Thanks for your concern about us. The bombing is continuing and increasing its destructive effects; This is the 12th day that buildings in central Belgrade are smashed, the headquarters of security forces, some barracks, factory plants, fuel stores, some bridges nearby etcÉ. We understand (hear but do not have any official news) that pictures of Kosovo civilian exodus are horrible, favoring the need for NATO intervention to stop ethnic cleansing (as if there was not recent experience in Croatia and Bosnia), but for us it is strengthening the false NATO - Milosevic dilemma/confrontation. As people in Yugoslavia do not see these pictures, it makes life horrible to anyone who concerns himself as "democratic force" of Serbia being exposed to various dangers and threats. The nationalistic, xenophobic homogenization on streets of Belgrade is increasing and getting an early stage of militancy when "masses" smashed windows of foreign cultural centers, embassies, offices of western airlines, Macdonald restaurants (symbol of American fast food) etc.. suspicious neighbors look for "spies", the wartime psychology at work. The "voices of democratic Serbia" attempting to think out the optimistic scenario have no chance to say even a word against the leader and a clique who actually produced all this. From a basement studio with the bombs and rockets bursting around and nationalistic homogenization roaring at its peek, (this morning the spokesmen of Ministry of Foreign Affairs commenting last night bombing said "here one has now 11 million Milosevics and 11 million Milutinovics") one feels like on a field study research testing conjecture of democratic transition of Serbs on a case study of Belgrade under bombing, refuted and leading to deeper frustration and desperation. Proclaimed state of war forbids all free media, the rest is engaged in vulgar propaganda which increases number of Internet learners and short wave radio listeners (Radio Free Europe in Serbian and BBC in English) but that is just a drop in a sea of ignorance, irrationality and disorientation. Rationing imposes the distribution structures as a lasting force (anti-market) while citizens from a shelter in need for stroll and fresh air bump on to the "patriotic" pop-folk-concerts on the main square, throwing the chance-walker into a homogenized masses roaring against western powers. Russian pop-groups (some kitsch imitation of Beatles) is a novelty, and today even some MP-s from Russian Duma exercised their singing abilities with Serbian patriotic songs, while Russian monks with Mother Marie's icon walk over the Danube bridge ridiculing the symbolics of religious procession. If it was just a video-game one could laugh, but it all is now becoming to sad and dangerous reality. The human suffering in Kosovo is coupled with a growing frustration of democratic forces in Belgrade, helpless and in a great danger to show any meaningful sign of resistance. Our paper "Republika" (paper for civic selfliberation) came out today from printers, it will reach only subscribers by post (if post works) as there is no public sale, it is on Internet (only in Serbian) but very few people here have access to computers. We see the way out only with immidiate stopping the military action on all sides and preparing for the international conference staged by EU or UN, preceded by a serious internationally stirred analysis and debate about the last ten years of war and its genesis, trying to answer the questions how the transition has been handled in this extremely sensitive region, who participated, how the concept of territoriality is misused, what is definition of ethnicity, where is the place of multiculturality etc.. Could the concept of ethnic territories be a basis for a peace implementation in Balkans, who was representing groups as the main negotiators, where have been the serious peace and democratic forces, prominent peace leaders, democratic and civil society NGOs, lobbyist experts on history, international law. How the elections have been handled, what was the role of media, is the Internet and satelite TV enough to introduce Open Society and democracy. Already in early 1990s there were prepared documents relevant even today on issues about transition of ex-Yu. Among these efforts there was an equally elaborated document to the solution to how to resolve the "Kosovo Knot". Hypocrisy after 12 days of bombing is expressed on BBC, trying to justify bombing that it was in the name of solving the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo, while the parliaments of the NATO countries are quarreling who should take the refugees and very slowly giving the money (negligible comparing to cost of plains and rockets) to humanitarian organizations. Enjoy Easter Holidays and live in peace while we have to hope for better times for cooperation. Sincerely Sonja & Milan Prodanovic Sonja & Milan Prodanovic Ecourban workshop Supilova 11 11000 Beograd, Serbia, Yu Tel fax +381 11 750 e-mail: ecourban@eunet.yu |