Degree of Illusion

These days everyone is waiting for the moment when the UN Council of Security shall lift the already suspended educational measures against Serbia and Montenegro. By general belief, amongst the world bullies, Milosevic is one of the most peace-loving, shows certain progress in understanding international norms, even a will to respect them or at least to hinder himself, especially since he came upon a greater power and war defeats. Those who shall decide whether to lift the sanctions mostly believe that they have made their impact. Even if the government in Belgrade hasn't changed its disposition, it has at least weakened.

However, certain differences exist in the evaluation of Milosevic's future behavior, as well as in the internal interests and inter-relations of the great and medium world powers. America and a few others would like to stall the actual lifting of the sanctions and would definitely leave the outer wall. Russia and a few others are asking that all and immediately be lifted. The first believe that certain risks still exist, which require strengthened supervision, while others claim that all is well, that justice has been satisfied and that the very continuance of the sanctions carries in itself a risk that this country could irreclaimably become a rebel and alienated one, like Libya and Iraq.

Even though I have accepted the fact that my voice is not the deciding one in the Council of Security, I admit that this time it wouldn't even be important, since I am not capable of assessing what could be the greatest risk for the global and local peace and order. Neither the partial suspension nor the urgent lifting of all sanctions cannot change the disposition of this government, and in any case Milosevic cannot go back to his policy of wild aggression. He has already gone too far, transgressing the boundaries of all laws, of all reason, where he was followed exclusively by criminals and madmen. Even now he does not wish to disappoint those most loyal followers, yet he also knows that in front of the world he must look like an average statesman and is diligently working on that role.

I wouldn't swear that he is the only to blame that the relations of Serbia with the world have been inversely set, yet it is evident that Milosevic had great support here while he was scaring and horrifying everybody from outside, and when he wishes to be accepted by that outside world, he doesn't expect support from Serbia, and tries to find ways to lightly threaten it. Judging by all facts, he is exclusively interested in foreign and internal affairs, diplomacy and the police, in which he functions like Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hide. I wouldn't be surprised if we were to find out one day that he personally had invented some of the most imaginative police intrigues created in order to confuse and crush the opposition.

As far as international (Western) acceptance goes, even the former Yugoslavia had loads of problems up to the moment when Tito entered into a conflict with Stalin, and besides that, that country had a generation of excellent diplomats at the time. The task of real normalization is much more difficult now even though many worried ambassadors have already arrived in Belgrade. Milosevic had to enter into a conflict exclusively with himself, and besides that, he is the only diplomat in this country. As is well known, the sanctions were imposed because of the war in Bosnia, and in order to be totally lifted, conditions have been subsequently set: elections in Bosnia, cooperation with The Hague Tribunal and good news from Kosovo. Milosevic met all conditions, that is none, depending on the degree of illusion a person can bear and accept instead of reality. He promised that in the Serbian Republic the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) shall lose its power to the "forces of peace and progress", but democratic countries cannot, despite all, formally say that he is to blame that the results of the elections turned out differently. He opened up the office of The Hague Tribunal in Belgrade, and he signed an agreement with Rugova, but he sent the same number of indicted persons to The Hague as the number of Albanian children who have really started going to schools in Kosovo. Still, the sanctions shall be lifted, and maybe even certain holes shall appear on their outer wall in the near future. In this case Milosevic can rely on the well-known school tactics by which even a bad pupil somehow manages to get by at the end, if he shows that he has applied himself. He's not doing too well but he's trying. Which is how he expects the world school faculty to somewhat lower its demands, which is quite possible and which has, in a way, already happened. I don't know what our local war veterans against the New World Order think, but I feel that they need not be absolutely desperate. In that unequal battle Serbia did lose, and has yet to lose, yet even the global order has become somewhat diluted and has made way even for a staggering member of the international community. The most persistent of the veterans shall probably say that an authentic and healthy Serbia has no reason to mix with such a community. However, even the international community isn't authentic and healthy if there is place in it for such a Serbia.

Whenever something which is irregular cannot be prevented or punished, it threatens to become regular. There is no doubt, for example, that the war and the collapse of the former Yugoslavia have somewhat influenced the climate in the neighboring countries and Europe. If there wasn't such a precedent, it is very probable that the crazy separatists from western Italy wouldn't be so courageous and ambitious. But, it is now clear that the most morbid predictions about the great war in Europe have been wrong or at least very premature.

Neither separatism, nor nationalism, nor expansionism, nor the prospect of violence have seriously interested Europe. Looking back, it could be said that Belgrade, during the war for the all-Serb state, really did try to launch an alternative way of behavior, believing that everyone everywhere shall start calling upon the rule of the stronger and that great chaos will erupt easily. However, it so happened that the right of the stronger has turned against the Serbian side, and only a few funny details remain of the alternative, like when Ljubisa Ristic, such as he is, participates in the negotiations with London bank officials who don't take their ties off even in bed.

There is no getting around it. It is time to admit that the thing has fallen through and that London bank officials shall not grow a mustache and wear boots and leather jackets, but that rather Ljubisa Ristic shall return to the theater. Slowly, everyone shall have to adapt to being what he or she is and to move amongst their own circles. Clowns in circuses, rangers in forests, bank clerks in banks, thieves in prisons, politicians in politics, whores in whore houses, cattle in barns, corpses in cemeteries. Judging by who is located where at this moment, even I realize that this seems like a far away and unrealizable dream, but there is nothing left for us than to patiently push things back into place.

While things could have been accomplished differently, more easily and at random, people behaved in such a way, so that many skipped over certain things and found themselves where they shouldn't be. Many things are demolished, wrecked and ruined; many people have been cheated, their things have been stolen, they were banished. That leads us nowhere except into immigration. If there is no internal strength and will, this country will not be helped by the lifting of the sanctions and re-emergence into the world institutions. Representatives will be appointed there but they won't have anything to represent.

Understandably, much depends on the government, but those who have been waiting for something until now and hoping, know best how happily they have married. Salvation does not lie with the elections, even if a miracle were to occur. More precisely such a miracle shall happen when we shall care for it least. And even another government shall look like this one less, if we change ourselves first. I have a feeling that a healthy political indifference has already caught hold of Serbia, which is making impatient activists desperate. But it is only a sign that the people have learned something from experience. Those who wish to motivate them once again should be superior, more honest and more intelligent.