Posted on 03/13/2003 8:05:11 AM PST by William McKinley
The assassination of Serbia's prime minister, Zoran Djindjic, by a sharpshooter in broad daylight in front of a government building on Wednesday, signals that all is not well within the borders of the metropolitan power of the Balkans. The chief tactician of Serbia's Prudent Revolution that overthrew Milosevic in October 2000, Djindjic was a controversial figure who courted the West with mixed success, achieved limited but substantial economic and legal reform largely by surrounding himself with honest and skilled technocrats, faced much internal obfuscation, and made many enemies along the way. The heir to the throne of Serbia expressed succinctly what many are feeling, namely that "his departure from the political scene is a great loss for the whole country and all its citizens."
While never enjoying much popular support (he had hardly ever polled over 20 percent) but increasingly behaving as if he had been granted a strong mandate, Djindjic's administration was dogged by rumors of his links to organized crime as well as by his close association with the will of the Western powers — especially Germany and the United States — which did not play well at home given the still vivid memories of the 78 day American-led 1999 bombing campaign.
Djindjic was responsible for shipping Milosevic and other prominent men of yesterday to the Hague Tribunal, and had promised to hand over three other indicted war criminals thought to be on Serbian territory by June. Chief among them was Ratko Mladic, the wartime head of the Bosnian Serb army, widely believed to have presided over the murders at Srebrenica during the Bosnian civil war, among other crimes.
While rightly sharing the view that the Hague Tribunal is a political and not a juridical institution, Djindjic understood that there are no absolute standards of justice in the world of international relations; he understood that those who retreat before the responsibilities of statesmanship or invoke such standards in the name of principle against necessity either do not understand politics and should withdraw before its ugliness, or be exposed as cowards when confronted with the ungracious nature of the world.
Djindjic was also responsible for having fully revived the question of the final status of the Serbian province of Kosovo-Metohija, currently under U.N. administration and inhabited by an overwhelmingly successionist ethnic-Albanian population. Widely seen as a pre-election ploy to expand his base of political support, Djindjic had gone so far as to propose, correctly, in my view, granting independence to the Kosovo Albanians in exchange for the retention of extraterritorial sovereignty over Serbian holy places in Kosovo as well as over majority-Serb areas (which may have included mutually beneficial population transfers).
Djindjic had been a marked man, having narrowly escaped several attempts on his life, most recently on February 21, when a truck plowed into his motorcade on its way to Belgrade's airport. Wednesday's official government announcement drew a link between that attempt and the day's murder. Djindjic's statement back in February suggested that he suspected that those opposed to democratic reforms or those linked to organized crime were responsible for the attempt. But he was, and remained until the end, entirely unapologetic: "If someone thinks law and reforms can be stopped by eliminating me, then that is a huge delusion."
STATE OF SERBIA
Serbia is now in a declared state of emergency. Read by the acting prime minister, Nebojsa Covic, the government's statement on Wednesday held that "this criminal act is a clear attempt to put an end to the development and democratization of Serbia and plunge it into isolation once again and was carried out by those who have been trying over the past few years to do so through various murders and assassinations." Serbia's will is strong; she will mend her broken soul and her ailing body and find the savages who did this to her people-come what may.
Djindjic's more popular rival, Vojislav Kostunica, the overthrower of Milosevic and a man of unrivalled integrity and moral authority, seemed on Wednesday to echo Djindjic's earlier suspicions when he described his onetime ally's assassination as "a brutal warning that the truth must be faced with open eyes." The murder demonstrated that crime "is the natural enemy of all democratic institutions" and that "all of us-both those in power and those in the opposition-must reflect on and draw a strict line in the sand between that which is legal and that which is not. Here there is no room for compromise and dealmaking," he concluded.
Radio Free Europe did not observe the custom not to speak ill of the dead. It described Djindjic as having a "Machiavellian view of power," by which it meant that he did not "shy away from relying on extraordinarily loose interpretations of the Serbian Constitution and parliamentary rules of procedure to get his way politically, such as his repeated attempts last year to bar members of Kostunica's [party] from parliament. He even went so far as to repeal their mandates and assign them to members of his party and its allies." Djindjic also refused to endorse Kostunica in an election for president of Serbia when the only other candidate was the far-right Vojislav Seselj, who presently sits in a cell at the Hague, and failed to cleanse the electoral list of the dead, the emigrated and the invented while refusing to repeal a Milosevic-era law that required a fifty percent voter turnout rate. This last stunt had cost him many friends in Washington, who had begun to call him "Little Slobo" by the time I had returned from Belgrade in early January, as had his domestic opponents.
WHODUNIT?
Among Djindjic's many enemies, who ordered the hit? Five groups stand out (given the professionalism of the murder, we can discount the likelihood of a lone, disaffected gunman): 1) associates of Milosevic, led by his vengeful son Marko (whereabouts unknown); 2) pro-Mladic former paramilitaries; 3) Seselj's ultranationalist goons; 4) extremist Albanians afraid Djindjic was going to succeed in finding a compromise solution to the problem of Kosovo's final status; and 5) influential elements of Serbia's underworld community. Of course, nothing is yet clear. But I suspect that one can rule out the pro-Mladic and the pro-Seselj possibilities, as well as any Albanian involvement. While all three groups had strong reasons to desire the death of Djindjic, there are compelling reasons to think them not responsible for this crime.
Mladic and the other two indicted war criminals in question are working to avoid detection and capture and can surmise that whatever deterrent factor murder may bring will be trumped by the justice and necessity of the pursuit and capture of those who gave the order (in this case, shame and duty trump fear). Seselj may very well have chosen to present himself before the Hague Tribunal instead of waiting for Djindjic to arrest him and reap the political benefit from doing so, but since he is already in a cage and stands little chance of returning to freedom any time soon, neither he nor his party stand to gain much political benefit from the death of Djindjic. Pure revenge or envy is a possibility, but this too is not Seselj's style (although I do not rule it out entirely). Lastly, the Albanians. Even a whiff of Albanian involvement would lead to an escalation of tensions in Kosovo and almost certainly insistence by Belgrade to reenter militarily Kosovo if the foreign authorities administering Kosovo could not immediately produce the suspects. All in all, assassination of Serbia's prime minister is not in the national interest of Kosovo's Albanians.
Remaining as plausible suspect groups are Serbia's organized crime leadership and the increasingly bitter and desperate associates of Milosevic, which in some cases come out to the same thing. Rumors persisted throughout the post-Milosevic period that Marko Milosevic had orchestrated numerous attempts on Djindjic's life. This in part explained Djindjic's preoccupation with his personal security — he had gone so far as to accept the German government's offer to modernize Serbia's security agencies. Moreover, his government was making small but real inroads into the deeply rooted organized-crime networks, which caused pregnant consternation in the underworld. What remained unclear was whether some in his circle or the rule of law had filled the power vacuum left by the crackdowns. Either way, it seems most plausible that this assassination was the work of powerful organized crime elements.
GOING ON
Serbia's new birth of freedom is here to stay, for thanks in part to Djindjic's tactical genius, the scourge of Communism in Europe was finally eliminated. Whatever his faults, surely Djindjic's name will be recorded with golden letters in the annals of history. Deservingly, then, do I cite at length the words of Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday:
Prime Minister Djindjic's fearless leadership was instrumental in ending the terrible and despotic regime of Slobodan Milosevic and peacefully restoring democratic rule. I met with him many times and came to know him and admire his courage and wisdom. He promoted the economic and political reforms necessary for Serbia's integration into Europe and spoke out against extremism in all forms. He courageously initiated a public campaign to combat organized crime, which threatens every institution in Serbian society. We are confident that Serbia's political leaders will continue Prime Minister's Djindjic's vital work. The United States remains committed to helping Serbia undertake the economic and democratic reforms that will lead it toward a brighter and more prosperous future within Europe.The evil men behind this cowardly act (and their sympathizers) have reminded all Serbs of the barbarous past that we shed so peacefully only a few years ago. We Serbs must not allow the murder of Zoran Djindjic to become a liberation from our future liberty. I pray that the men who ordered his assassination be found, that they be brought to justice, and that those in charge of the investigation understand the distinction between a vengeful act and a reckoning.
May we Serbs learn from this crime the political necessity of a principled yet disinterested interest in the liberty of our people. May the West learn that siding with the one most like you in parts of the world unlike yours more often than not leads to the mere appearance of stability, to the detriment of both.
— Damjan de Krnjevic-Miskovic, a fellow at the Center for South Eastern European Studies in Belgrade, is the assistant managing editor of The National Interest and a columnist for the Russian daily Izvestia.
I`ll discuss it more,later!
If this is true, it could be one of the key motives
Belgrade was intelligence community's center in southeastern europe for decades, where German BND and Ruskies had no access. (they had to settle for Zagreb)
With ongoing rift between U.S. and Germany, this move in favor of BND could tip the scales elsewhere (mechanism resembles hydraulic press) where it DOES matter.
Whodonit? Spiderman, of course. According to Serbian tv sniper(s) used ropes to quickly escape from the roof.
Did they show these ropes on TV? You said ropes, so were there two or were there more than two?
Have you seen the photo were there's blood at the rim of a planter? I posted the picture (it is the second picture of this post): http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/863420/posts?page=20#20
Some are suggesting this was done to get Nebojsa Covic in power. He seems close to NATO in working on issues regarding Kosovo and southern Serbia. I've always thought he was a traitor.
Sorry, I disagree. First, Damjan de Krnjevic-Miskovic? Why not von? And he keeps referring to Serbs as “we?” This guy is as fake as a three-dollar bill.
Second, his accolades for Djindjich would be comical if they were not tragic! Elevating a scumbag of Zoran’s caliber almost to knighthood is an insult to Serbia. This guy is portraying Djindjich as some statesman who “surrounded himself with honest and skilled technocrats.” Is he joking? He surrounded himself with various underworld characters and even foreign spies. Djindjich was a dismal failure as a mayor of Belgrade as well as a Prime Minister.
I would like to see when was Djindjich, personally, polling 20% of the vote? His coalition, maybe, but Djindjich was in single percent digits most of the time.
But to Damjan, Djindjich’s departure is best summarized by one of Zoran’s cronies as “a great [sic] loss for the whole country and all [sic] its citizens.” This is the guy whose closest friends and allies were none other than Germany and the US – two countries most responsible for the breakup of Yugoslavia!
Damjan makes light of Djindjich’s pragmatism – to oblige his paymasters out of “pragmatism” (read: spinelss opportunism), by violating and stretching Serbian and Yugoslav laws and by showing arrogant disdain for the highest courts. That’s why Washington Post calls him a “strong U.S. ally” with such qualities as “bending under pressure.” Sure, paymasters like “genuflexing“ on demand of its faithful servants.
Serbian economy is worse than it was before he took over. His control of the media and his personal micromanagerial style of running things created many enemies, and earned him the popular title of "Little Slobo." He “pragmatism” (read: backstabbing) made many enemies out of his former friends and partners (Koshtunitsa and Michunovich to name just a couple of more prominent ones).
The rest of Damjan’s vomiting borders on a personal affection of alternative kind for Zoran. “Djindjich’s name will be recorded with golden letters in the annals of history.” Really? If Djindjich is the best “Serbs” like de Krnjevic-Miskovic can hope for, Serbia is beyond help! In the end, Djindjich met his end by the people who share his “pragmatic” approach to solutions, and who thrive on short-lived opportunistic associations. But Damjan decries those evil men who remind “all Serbs of their barbarous past” (more like a bad “tradition!”) “that we [sic] shed so peacefully only a few years ago.” Really? By hired thugs storming the Parliament building, burning election ballots and so on?
The thuggery that ushered Djindjich into the executive office of Serbia, a person who could never get such a job by election, made a mockery of the so-called democracy there. His wanton disregard for law, constitution, coalition agreements and so on, only reinforced the sad fact that Serbia under Djindjich was no better off, and possibly worse off, than under his predecessors.
The only people who were pleased with Djindjich were his pay masters, and some spurious “Serbs” with Serbian names preceded by un-Serbian de or von, who seem to worship “mondialist” and foreign values over anything Serbian – including their disdain for Serbian culture and its Cyrillic script.
Alas, he was not alone to rule Serbia with disdain for anything Serb. The acting president of Serbia, Natasha Michich, a Djindjich collaborator, belongs to the most self-defacing of all political marginal parties -- the Civic Alliance of a borderline traitor Vesna Peshich (who will maybe answer for her ill deeds), a party that could not win a city block in Serbia. Democracy works in strange ways, indeed!
For good critical review of this incident see the "Manager", and power vacuum.
I would also like to call everyone's attention to Branicap's sharp remark about Sheshel' who made some pretty prophetic remarks before his trip to the Hague. On the airplane, he actually expressed doubt that Djindjich would be alive when he returns from the Hague (as reported by Vechernye novine, a Belgrade daily).
God
Bless
The
USA!
Last time I checked,the name of this website was Free Republic.Does that freedom apply only to you and some other American citizens or some other people can ,also,be "free" at least to think??
This thread is about assassination of Serbian Prime Minister and is not devoted to the blind worshiping of USA!
USA is not a friend or ally of Yugoslavia /Serbia,despite all the pretences.And if US brutal policies towards Serbia had added to the Djindjich`s demisse than it has to be said,in order to understand what has happened a few days ago in Belgrade!
And,leave the God alone,he doesn`t belong to this thread.
I suggest that if you are really interested in this subject,you better start paying attention and taking notes,because some people here are very well informed and know what are they talking about!You,on this thread,can onle be a pupil not a lecturer!
And,stop behaving like a FR gauleiter.
Somebody else is paid to be moderator,I guess.
USA!
As for whodunnit, it might have been carried out by crims (then again most of the citizens are because of the previous sanctions), but I pegg it only as a political. The really big question is why now? I would judge that whoever was behind it was expecting further treachery by Djindjic and it would seem reasonable that this assassination had been long in the planning. The last ten days of intensive hunts for Mladic and Karadic, 'dismantling support networks' etc. and Djindic being told to hand them over or else, was ( and using a phrase that reflects my heritage), beyond the pale for some powerful figures.
Djindjic was trying to be a Putin figure but with a slim grasp on the real levers of power. Yes, he was very good at manipulating his opponents which a unified action less likely, but he made too many enemies and it seems to me that lead to a converging of interests of several of his enemies, ergo the rub out operation. Though I'm loath to make the comparison, like Caesar, it will be found that many hands will have held the instruments of his downfall.
VRN
Will you,please,stop doing that!!LOOOOOOOOOL.
The author had made some valid points about Djindjinch and current situation in Serbia.But,the accolades atributed to Djindjich in the last paragraph are a stuff that make me nauseous!
Djindjich`s name will never be written in golden letters in the Anals of the Serbian politics but,his ways and methods should be studied by every student of Political Sciencies!
I guess that the course should be named"How to use stronger/better leaders in order to gain power!"
From the very beggining,Zoran Djindjich was odd man out!Even in his Democratic Party(DS) the reall authority were Professor Michunovich and Vojislav Kostunica.They had a charizma of intellect and integrity,especially,Kostunica.They had the pulling power for DS voters and carried with them 75% of DS suporters.Djindjich had the appeal with younger voters but they were in minority in the DS.And,very early,Djindjich had shown an intense jelousy towards Vuk Draskovich,"King of Squares".
But,both Michunovich and Kostunica were to naive and honest to deal with Djindjich.Kostunica had to leave DS first and than in `94,to the astonishement of everybody,Djindjich had staged a coup and ousted Michunovich from the post of DS leader!He had no other choice but to leave the party that he had founded,
"If you want immortality,leave politics and go to Church" he said to departing Michunovich!Djindjich was unpopular with the Serbs,and could never gather more than 20% of votes and could never reach popularity of Draskovich or Miloshevich and he was aware of that but ,never agreed to make an alliance with Draskovich in order to oust Miloshevich.Because,that would inaugurate Draskovich as a leader,and he was lot smarter that Kostunica,and a dangerous rival!
But,as we all know,he became Prime Minister (unelected) on the wave of Kostunica`s popularity,and,since then has done everything to twarth reall democracy and rule of law in Serbia!More details about that can be found in your previous posts,Kosta,and the two links that you have provided.For the people interested,of course!
Djindjich has abused parlamentary procedures in order to "un-elect" legally elected members of Kostunica`s party,he continued to use services of deeply compromised Secret Services...Yes,he had some tough choices to make but he had done it in a wrong,self serving way.Seselj had said that Djindjich was begging Carla Del Ponte to do something about Seselj,and remove a dangerous rival!Any one who had gained some popularity had become a thresth to him.His last potential victim was Mladjan Dinkich,competent and outspoken Governor of the Yugoslav Bank who didn`t want to bend over and...but,at least,Djindjich had managed to install that stupid turkey from Serbian province as a Serbian President(ess) at least,temporary!What an insult for the Serbs and democracy!
And that was a "pro-Western" politician???That was "Me and only me!!" politician,nothing else!In that regard,no different than Miloshevich!
And,now what???
Who`s left?
Serbian government is full of incompetent cronies of late Djindjich :Natasha Michich,as an acting President(clueless);Zivkovich and Mihailovich(Dumb&Dumber) as Ministers of Interior who don`t understand the basic fact of democratic societies:when a Prime Minister is assassinated ministers of interior and chiefs of police resign immediately!!!But nooooooooo,they will "Revenge Zoran Djindjich"!What these clowns don`t understand is that rule of law and justice have nothing to do with revenge!
They will catch a couple of criminals,sure!Butmwhat they will not do is to admit their own coulpability for the events...their petty fights and appeasement of Djindjich and his anti Constitutional techniques!They will not call an early elections.
The only two untainted politicans that can shake the things a bit are Kostunica and Draskovich.Draskovich had said that he will support Kostunica if they together go on the street,but Kostunica have to take a lead!Will see.
In Yugoslavia,today,everybody had gained(or gaining) something:Montenegro and her Don Djukanovich are,almost independent,will iontroduce their own language etc...In Vojvodina,we have that idiot Chanak who wants a Republic,official Vojvodina language(!!!),wants to open Vojvodina Office in Brusseles and have ,allready,found convinient locations for "foreign" embassies!!!
And,these people have to sort out the problems???
And,that is Djindjich`s legacy !
Really,an achievement worthy of "golden letters"!
Sad.
The reality is that Serbia is beheaded. I think Destro put it very well in an earlier post. Worse, Serbia is in a virtual police state, with civil rights suspended and political activities curtailed -- until the perpetrators are caught and punished! That means -- as the Romans used to say -- ad kalendas graecas!, or simply put never.
Djindjich only finished what all the others started. They were all very good at dismantling, but not replacing. Today, Serbia is on the brink of even further atomization, with Voyvodina for sure thinking to distance itself even more.
Unfortunately, the Serbs don't see where to look for their slavation. They look to the West. They are not Westerners. They imitate the West, but it is awkward, bad imitation, it doesn't fit in the milleu; it is alien and artificial.
They will find their salvation when they try to revive their own sense of self, their own identity, and discard the borrowed ones that don't fit. They couldn't be farther from it at this point.
That does not include free (and educated) opinion or even putative (and ignorant) slogans.
Free Republic promotes free speech as one of the basic American rights, which is what makes this Forum great. It helps us learn from each other through a free exhange of ideas.
Kosta, "West" is both political and philosophical term. This term is not interchangeable with "West European", MittelEuropean or Atlantic.
What Western you have in Mind? Western of Monroe Doctrine, Western of Fuckuyama claptrap, Western of American/French Revolution, Western of Mitteleuropean xenophobia?
Please bear in mind that Serbian national movement came into being with Enlightement and Napoleonic wars. Serbs adopted those ideals somewhat naively, without watching where it will lead them. By trying to reach the ideal of liberte (in Balkan Wars, WWI, WWII) fraternite (in Two Yugoslavias) and egalite (non-alignment movement) Serbs fell into the deepest pit where they are today, facing extermination as a people and culture.
Serbs-American Allies in WWI.
Serbs-American Allies in WWII
Serbs- American Allies in Cold War
Why? Because they were not "Westerners".
Are Westerners RC nations who were American enemies throughout history?
You are threading on a dangerous ground. According to you, are Serbs perhaps "Asiatic"?
Serbian education model was based on French model, not MittelEuropean.
In the last 10 years, Serbs got the lesson what "West" is all about. As the rest of us in the West.
How many Forums beside Free Republic keep the torch of liberty? We are here holered like refugees from the outside Liberal World.
Serbs do not fit well into Liberal dominated West. Serebs are what Americans used to be. That's why Liberals pathologically hate them. But other freedom loving people are also not fitting into that Liberal world.
Yet, no one dare to say they are not Western.
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