Serbian-American Relations
Everytime someone mentiones Serbian-American relations, my first reaction is: "what the hell those Americans want now?". Since 1991, America has become a synonym for "lies, serbhating propaganda, bombings, and pressure". But it wasn't always like this.
Diplomatic relations between Serbia and America were established in Oct 14th 1881, when american consul-General Eugene Schuyler and serbian Minister of foreing Affairs Chedomir Mijatovich signed a Consular convention and a trade Agreement. Back than average Americans knew about the Kingdom of Serbia as much as they do know now about the Republic of Serbia. That situation slightly changed during the Balkan wars (1912/13) when American press wrote about our fight against the Turks. During the WWI Serbia and USA became allies and, some say, maintained close relations. In WWII the United States supported Serbian royal guerilla movment, aka the chetniks. The leader of the chentiks, Gen. Drazha Mihailovich appeared on a cover page of Time in May 1942, and that was the last time one Serb was regarded in a possitive sense: unconquered. About fifty years later (on Sep 11th 1995) a cover of Time will look like this:
How did we come to this stage?
Gradually of course. First in 1991, USA ended a 110 years old history of good relations with modern Serbia, with a false claim that "the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has dissolved and that no successor state represents its continuation". The claim, of course, isn't true, and in any decent history book one could find a timeline that looks something like this:
-Principality of Serbia (1817-1878);
-Kingdom of Serbia (1878-1918) (In 1881, The first diplomatic relations with America were established)
-Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (1918-1941) (Renamed in Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929)
-Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945-1992) (In 1991, USA ended good diplomatic relations)
-Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992-2003);
-State Union of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006);
-Republic of Serbia (Since June 5th, 2006)
So in 1991, Serbian-American relations died, but it was the aggression on Serbia in 1999. that buried it (for good?). Does anyone remeber that bobming now? Reasons? Objectives? Effects? Let's go on a quck tour.
In 1998, so-called Kosovo Liberaton Army (a terrorist organisation) staged several attacks on both police forces in Kosovo and civilian population. The attacks became more frequent, and the clashes between regular Serbian forces and the KLA increased. In a paralel with military clashes, the media war was going on too. The stories about "Serbian atrocities, terror, and new genocide" started to emerge in the main-stream media. As a response to those acussations UN sent serveral inspections on Kosovo to check it out. None of those inspections could confirm such acussations. Meanwhile, a fake negotiation process started in Rambouillet having the two sides as participants and representatives of US (Clinton's) administration as mediators. Openly favouring KLA side, Clinton's administration finaly found a "reason" for military intervention: "The Serbs didn't want to sign a peace agreement. " Since that wasn't sufficent reason to launch such attacks, the media "helped" once again: "we must prevent humanitarian catastrophe, prevent new genocide and ethnic cleansing". So the attacks begun. Note that when they couldn't find genocide (because there was no genocide), they launched attacks in order "to prevent it". The truth is (and NATO admited it later) that genocide could have happened right under NATO jets, for "there was no strategy for preventing it". On the other hand, air raids caused massive migrations in whole Serbia. The migrations were biggest in Kosovo where air raids and military clashes between regular forces and the KLA were hardest. Six to seven hundred thousand Albanians (about a half of all the albanian population in Kosovo) escaped mainly to neighbouring Albania and Macedonia (some of them to Montenegro and abroad), while the non-albanian population (Serbs, Roma, Turks, etc.) escaped mainly to Serbia. After 78 days of bombing, when the peace agreement was signed, the real aggression was about to start. Of 600-700 000 albanians who fled Kosovo, about twice as much (1 200 000 - 1 400 000) came back. The border with Albania was wide open and "free Kosovo" was accepting anyone who wanted to come to "the promissed land". (Not long after that (2001), and as a consequence of U.S. intervention, a small war will broke in Macedonia. Again, between one branch of KLA (NLA) and regular forces of Macedonian state.)
While the raging mob and KLA were condicting the physical aggression ( murders, terror, WARNING: DISTURBING PICTURES, desecrated graveyards ) against the non-Albanians (and the Aalbanians who were for peaceful co-existance with the Serbs); KFOR officials, together with UN Officials and American envoys started a judicial aggression. They started to brake their own peace agreement (and UN Resolution 1244) thus giving albanian extremist a motive to continue. (And they did. The pogrom in 2004, will prove that.) Meanwhile, UN itself has become a target of extremism, and that is why are they so desperate to forward all this to the EU. (As if that would solve anything?!)
The point is that America supports the idea of independent Kosovo and consequently so does the media, UN, and american wanabe "partners" in Europe. The question is Why?
Some say "because of Milosevic". But Milosevic was owerthrowned six years ago, and he's dead now. (I wont even go into double game that U.S. played with Milosevic.)
Some say "as a punishment for genocide". Which genocide? The "genocide in Kosovo" which NATO "managed to prevent", or "genocide" in Bosnia, of which the Serbia was found not guilty by the International Courte of Justice. And here is one tought: wouldn't you say that ten years of UN sanctions, 78 days of NATO aggression, and everlasting media hate is quite enough punishment (even for imaginary "genocide").
Some say "because Serbia doesn't cooperate enough with the Haag tribunal (ICTY)." In what jail Milosevic died? How many Serbs commited suicide there? How many serbian ex-presidents had (or have) trial there? How many serbian politicians are waiting for a trial (and for how long)? That is more than that kangaroo court can handle.
Some say "because of Serbian conspiracy with Russia". Ha! It seems that for some people Cold War never ended. Since all other "reasons" prove to be a fraud, I've got an idea how this "conspiracy problem" can be solved. Why doesn't America, for once in her recent history, stand up for the UN charter, UN resolution (on Kosovo), international law, and common sense? Maybe then, America's "partners" in Europe would dare to realise that the Union which they're trying to build has interests as well. Maybe then, the UN would dare to face the problems on Kosovo rather than trying to put it under the carpet and forward it to the EU.
That would really revive Serbian-American relations, and all the "conspiracies" would vanish.
To conclude
We may say that Since 1943 Serbian-American relations have not particulary been good. That includes the relations to all American presidents (since 1943) with only one exception: John Kennedy. American Serbs mourned him like they would mourn a Serb. Such simpathy and respect is not what recent american presidents could expect from the Serbs. It is not just the fact that USA wont recognise the State of Serbia (its continuity), nor it is just because of Bush's (Senior) and Clinton's bombings, media propaganda, and conseqences of it: UN sanctions and kangaroo courts. No, it is the fact that America doesn't recognise herself anymore. America has lost her own continuity, that is why she is unable to recognise Serbia's. That is why the Serbs (and not just us) are still "a threat to America" no matter what. But that is something that American people needs to solve, we can just hope that it will be very soon.
Serbian-American relations 1881-1991
Diplomatic relations between Serbia and America were established in Oct 14th 1881, when american consul-General Eugene Schuyler and serbian Minister of foreing Affairs Chedomir Mijatovich signed a Consular convention and a trade Agreement. Back than average Americans knew about the Kingdom of Serbia as much as they do know now about the Republic of Serbia. That situation slightly changed during the Balkan wars (1912/13) when American press wrote about our fight against the Turks. During the WWI Serbia and USA became allies and, some say, maintained close relations. In WWII the United States supported Serbian royal guerilla movment, aka the chetniks. The leader of the chentiks, Gen. Drazha Mihailovich appeared on a cover page of Time in May 1942, and that was the last time one Serb was regarded in a possitive sense: unconquered. About fifty years later (on Sep 11th 1995) a cover of Time will look like this:
How did we come to this stage?
Gradually of course. First in 1991, USA ended a 110 years old history of good relations with modern Serbia, with a false claim that "the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has dissolved and that no successor state represents its continuation". The claim, of course, isn't true, and in any decent history book one could find a timeline that looks something like this:
-Principality of Serbia (1817-1878);
-Kingdom of Serbia (1878-1918) (In 1881, The first diplomatic relations with America were established)
-Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (1918-1941) (Renamed in Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929)
-Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945-1992) (In 1991, USA ended good diplomatic relations)
-Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992-2003);
-State Union of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006);
-Republic of Serbia (Since June 5th, 2006)
So in 1991, Serbian-American relations died, but it was the aggression on Serbia in 1999. that buried it (for good?). Does anyone remeber that bobming now? Reasons? Objectives? Effects? Let's go on a quck tour.
In 1998, so-called Kosovo Liberaton Army (a terrorist organisation) staged several attacks on both police forces in Kosovo and civilian population. The attacks became more frequent, and the clashes between regular Serbian forces and the KLA increased. In a paralel with military clashes, the media war was going on too. The stories about "Serbian atrocities, terror, and new genocide" started to emerge in the main-stream media. As a response to those acussations UN sent serveral inspections on Kosovo to check it out. None of those inspections could confirm such acussations. Meanwhile, a fake negotiation process started in Rambouillet having the two sides as participants and representatives of US (Clinton's) administration as mediators. Openly favouring KLA side, Clinton's administration finaly found a "reason" for military intervention: "The Serbs didn't want to sign a peace agreement. " Since that wasn't sufficent reason to launch such attacks, the media "helped" once again: "we must prevent humanitarian catastrophe, prevent new genocide and ethnic cleansing". So the attacks begun. Note that when they couldn't find genocide (because there was no genocide), they launched attacks in order "to prevent it". The truth is (and NATO admited it later) that genocide could have happened right under NATO jets, for "there was no strategy for preventing it". On the other hand, air raids caused massive migrations in whole Serbia. The migrations were biggest in Kosovo where air raids and military clashes between regular forces and the KLA were hardest. Six to seven hundred thousand Albanians (about a half of all the albanian population in Kosovo) escaped mainly to neighbouring Albania and Macedonia (some of them to Montenegro and abroad), while the non-albanian population (Serbs, Roma, Turks, etc.) escaped mainly to Serbia. After 78 days of bombing, when the peace agreement was signed, the real aggression was about to start. Of 600-700 000 albanians who fled Kosovo, about twice as much (1 200 000 - 1 400 000) came back. The border with Albania was wide open and "free Kosovo" was accepting anyone who wanted to come to "the promissed land". (Not long after that (2001), and as a consequence of U.S. intervention, a small war will broke in Macedonia. Again, between one branch of KLA (NLA) and regular forces of Macedonian state.)
While the raging mob and KLA were condicting the physical aggression ( murders, terror, WARNING: DISTURBING PICTURES, desecrated graveyards ) against the non-Albanians (and the Aalbanians who were for peaceful co-existance with the Serbs); KFOR officials, together with UN Officials and American envoys started a judicial aggression. They started to brake their own peace agreement (and UN Resolution 1244) thus giving albanian extremist a motive to continue. (And they did. The pogrom in 2004, will prove that.) Meanwhile, UN itself has become a target of extremism, and that is why are they so desperate to forward all this to the EU. (As if that would solve anything?!)
The point is that America supports the idea of independent Kosovo and consequently so does the media, UN, and american wanabe "partners" in Europe. The question is Why?
Some say "because of Milosevic". But Milosevic was owerthrowned six years ago, and he's dead now. (I wont even go into double game that U.S. played with Milosevic.)
Some say "as a punishment for genocide". Which genocide? The "genocide in Kosovo" which NATO "managed to prevent", or "genocide" in Bosnia, of which the Serbia was found not guilty by the International Courte of Justice. And here is one tought: wouldn't you say that ten years of UN sanctions, 78 days of NATO aggression, and everlasting media hate is quite enough punishment (even for imaginary "genocide").
Some say "because Serbia doesn't cooperate enough with the Haag tribunal (ICTY)." In what jail Milosevic died? How many Serbs commited suicide there? How many serbian ex-presidents had (or have) trial there? How many serbian politicians are waiting for a trial (and for how long)? That is more than that kangaroo court can handle.
Some say "because of Serbian conspiracy with Russia". Ha! It seems that for some people Cold War never ended. Since all other "reasons" prove to be a fraud, I've got an idea how this "conspiracy problem" can be solved. Why doesn't America, for once in her recent history, stand up for the UN charter, UN resolution (on Kosovo), international law, and common sense? Maybe then, America's "partners" in Europe would dare to realise that the Union which they're trying to build has interests as well. Maybe then, the UN would dare to face the problems on Kosovo rather than trying to put it under the carpet and forward it to the EU.
That would really revive Serbian-American relations, and all the "conspiracies" would vanish.
To conclude
We may say that Since 1943 Serbian-American relations have not particulary been good. That includes the relations to all American presidents (since 1943) with only one exception: John Kennedy. American Serbs mourned him like they would mourn a Serb. Such simpathy and respect is not what recent american presidents could expect from the Serbs. It is not just the fact that USA wont recognise the State of Serbia (its continuity), nor it is just because of Bush's (Senior) and Clinton's bombings, media propaganda, and conseqences of it: UN sanctions and kangaroo courts. No, it is the fact that America doesn't recognise herself anymore. America has lost her own continuity, that is why she is unable to recognise Serbia's. That is why the Serbs (and not just us) are still "a threat to America" no matter what. But that is something that American people needs to solve, we can just hope that it will be very soon.
Serbian-American relations 1881-1991
posted by Wolfgang White at 5:22 AM
