Fault of the Ancient Slavs

The policy of waging wars against everyone around us and the western world, which Milosevic has been pursuing for a number of years and which has recently been refreshed with the influence of JUL and the Radicals, would be meaningful only if it led in the end to a great migration to the East. Those unwilling to make the trip will have to find a way of proving that they are reconciled with the fact that they live here and now, in Europe, at the end of the twentieth century. Things have deteriorated to the point where even such a simple statement has become a heresy and the strongest opposition slogan.

When robbed by an ordinary thug, you don’t ask yourself why he did it. Even the villain himself, if caught, usually has little to say about his motives. He might confess, or he might not, but he will never say that he did what he did with best intentions, for your own good, that he only wanted to borrow your money and return it later with interest, or that he meant to donate it to an orphanage.

However, when the robber is the state, the offender feels obliged to justify his actions by referring to one of these illustrious causes. The bigger the robbery, the grander the explanation. As we have witnessed in recent years the biggest robberies have taken place at the time of historical undertakings concerning borders and territories. Now, when it is clear that the last such undertaking is being finalized in Kosovo, with as much success as the previous ones, the state suddenly discoveres enourmous excesses in the freedoms of speech.  This excess directly jeopardizes the national interest concerning the preservation of Milosevic’s and Seselj’s regime, and undermines the confidential nature of the robbery and the dignity of the bandit.

However, as I mentioned earlier, in contrast to ordinary robbers, greedy politicians seldom admit to selfish motives, disguising them instead with politics. This only makes things worse, considering that such politicians are capable of finding the craziest of projects, leading the people  and the state well out of their day and age. The new Bill resulting from bad policies typically exceeds anything that politicians could pocket for themselves. The aim of the Directive concerning the ban on independent media, as well as the new press  legislation, is to give maximum freedom to the regime, while constraining its opponents. If the new legislation contravenes the constitutions of Serbia and Yugoslavia, not to mention the international convention of Human rights - all the better.  The idea behind the whole project is to wean the citizens off the habit of calling upon constitutional rights and freedoms, especially international  norms and conventions. From now on, the regime will be able to estimate freely how inconvenient each radio station or newspaper is, and instead of a ban, to impose colossal fines. The outcome will be equivalent to a ban, but more profitable. Even while the directive was in force, it became apparent that the criteria for its implementation are very loose, and the freedom to interpret the incriminated texts virtually limitless. Therefore, the media banned under the Directive, which have been freed now that the directive has been repealed, can easily be disabled by the new press legislation. The ban on the retransmission of foreign news broadcasts seems not to require an explanation at all. It is largely treated as self-evident that Serbia is surrounded by hostile enemies.  The NATO threat was, of course, only an excellent  (probably the best) excuse.  Namely, the new law concerning the freedom of the press was preceded by the new University legislation, whose purpose is the same. NATO did not threaten at the time, and the university lecturers who were forced into retirement or simply removed could not be accused of  spreading defeatism. Their sin was the possibility that they might spread doubt concerning the great future which awaits the Serbs under Milosevic and Seselj, guided by the ideas of Mira Markovic. The Left and the Right have been suffering long enough from ideological prejudices which prevented them from observing mutual interests and aims, from getting to know and love each other. Seselj and Mira Markovic have, for a long time and independently of each other, glanced yearningly at Russia. They have finally joined forces and now march in unison.

It seems to me that, at the same time, they remain unaware of the length of the journey and the size of the project they have undertaken. It is true that Seselj plans to suggest a military, political and economic alliance between Serbia, Russia and (especially) Belarussia, which would hopefully one day turn Belgrade into Minsk. However, that would only be a stage in the project and a technical expression of his and their ultimate intention. They are dreaming a much grander dream, and calling it momentous would be an understatement. What they are trying to do is to correct the terrible mistake made some fifteen centuries ago by ancient Slavs who arrived to Southern Europe. They believe that Ancient Slavs should have stayed where they were, or should have gone the other way, and consequently that the ideal place for the Serbs is somewhere on the other side of Caucasus. As far a way as possible from Europe and this place where they obviously can not survive.  The traces of their dream are visible in the sphere of domestic politics as well as in the way in which Serbia nurtures relations with its neighbors. For years, the regime has offered very convincing evidence that Serbs cannot live with anyone else. The theory concerning the fundamental difference between the Serbs and all neighboring and other European nations has become so entrenched that the idea that the Serbs can only survive somewhere deep inside Asia imposes itself naturally, as the only logical solution. However, it might be a good idea for someone to go there first and examine the terrain. It would be good to know whether there is enough space, and what the new neighbors are like. What if it later turns out that they drink Coca-Cola, study English and listen to the Voice of America? This would mean that one would have to go further, all the way to China, something that has already been noted by Mrs. Markovic. And one should make a move as soon as possible, before it is too late.

The policy of waging wars against everyone around us and the western world, which Milosevic has been pursuing for a number of years, and which has recently been refreshed by the influence of JUL and the Radicals, would be meaningful only if it led to a great migration to the East. Until they decide to make that trip, they will suffer defeats. Those who have been justifying and forgiving those defeats, are doing so because deep down they are hoping that there is indeed a road to the East for the Serbs, and that they will find it in the end, if they persevere.

That is probably why the regime accepted the exodus of the Serbs from Croatia  almost as a natural occurrence. They too got lost centuries ago. What were they doing that far west in the first place?  Seselj recently advised them against going back, should such a possibility arise. Serbs in Bosnia are also now seen as lost brethren who have to endure the terror of the West and who can no longer be helped.

If Serbia is indeed getting ready for a long journey, then it doesn’t really need the autonomy of the University, free press, or those foreign broadcasts that might make people hesitant. The aim is to go beyond the reach of these Western influences, where people are still virtuous and unspoiled, where laws or the constitution are unnecessary, and the legal profession is redundant - a place inhabited solely by the likes of Milosevic and Seselj.

However, those unwilling to make the trip, who think that maybe ancient Slavs did not make a mistake, or that the mistake cannot be corrected, now have to find a way of proving that they are reconciled with the fact that they live here and now, in Europe, at the end of the twentieth century. Things have deteriorated to the point where even such a simple statement has become a heresy and the strongest opposition slogan. It means that one should be aware of the risk and prepared for the consequences, because anyone who has not forgotten where and when they live, or does not oppose this day and age is the greatest enemy of this regime.