Issue 166 - November 28, 1994

NATO planes recently found themselves on a mission which, in the degree of absurdity, ominously brings to mind the task that the former Yugoslav Peoples' Army (JNA) was supposed to carry out in the former Yugoslavia. Then, as now, the matter concerned the first combat tasks faced by a force which had for decades prepared for a different kind of enemy and expected different operations. In both cases, the soldiers were given orders to win without fighting, without losses and a minimum amount of material damage; in fact, to impress the enemy to such an extent that they would give up immediately, or rather, agree to everything. However, the JNA was prepared for defeat and withdrawal, while NATO is just entering Bosnia slowly and cautiously.

When a camera flew through the air and hit a famous writer in the head during a Reformist Party promotion during long ago 1990, few realized that the matter concerned a demonstration of what was to follow. It showed which political option would not be tolerated and the method by which the "New Serbia being created" would deal with reason.

The people had great confidence in Yugoslav National Bank (NBJ) Governor Dragoslav Avramovic, but things have changed. The Governor will have to work hard if he wishes to regain the trust of the business world and the experts. The first step in this direction could be his consent to respect the law.

NIN was once owned by the Politika publishing house, whose management then let it become independent in order to hasten its demise. It now seems that they want NIN returned to their fold

"Stizung" is a term that has recently appeared during the Yugoslav economic crisis. It represents buying hard currency cash with dinars from a bank account. Since administrative obstacles make it difficult to do as one pleases with money from a bank account, its exchange rate differs from the official and black market (cash for cash) rates, resulting in a 20, 30, 40... percent advantage for the seller of hard currency. This difference is called "stizung" and every such transaction is prohibited by law

On November 22, the Serbian Parliament did not approve the demand by the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) deputy group to open a debate about the bombing of the Udbina airport, but it was decided that the heads of all deputy groups should present their positions regarding the subject

How Belgrade's "Vecernje Novosti" daily brought Uros Predic's 115-year-old painting to life and pronounced the boy in the painting as "suffering as a result of present Muslim misdeeds"

NATO launched an air strike against Udbina airport, which was no surprise. The real questions are: whose aircraft flew to Udbina, why they flew, who wants to get who into what and what does the bombing of Udbina have to do with the price of gasoline in Serb lands

Last Tuesday, the first day of the trial of Dusan Vuckovic, the first Serb charged with war crimes against civilians in Bosnia, the courtroom in Sabac was packed with camera crews, photographers and plainclothes policemen. No one was allowed inside without credentials and foreign journalists and crews had to ask for permission from the Yugoslav Supreme Court and the Federal Ministry of Information

The rules of the game changed and events have picked up a worrying speed. Akashi, Martic and Milosevic tried to slow things down, but how do you slow Karadzic down and how do you protect UNPROFOR ground troops from retaliation

The Croatian authorities are promising a return to Vukovar, something that is still only possible on film

In this story about a young married couple, she a Croat and he a Serb, everything functions with the help of stereotypes and antagonisms, but will this be completely understood by the American Film Academy