From: pshane@andromeda.rutgers.edu (Ana M. Shane)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna
Subject: Re: Bosnian mistakes
Date: 22 Dec 92 07:26:24 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

faruk@bcars6f5.BNR.CA (Faruk od Bosne) writes:


>In article <1992Dec20.214717.29673@enea.se>, sommar@enea.se (Erland
>Sommarskog) writes:
>|> Senad Arnautovic (arnsenad@me.utoronto.ca) writes:
>|> >Let's be serious, what do you blame the B-H government. What mistakes
>|> >did you believe it make?
>|> 
>|> Went on the road to independence when they knew it would lead
>|> to bloodshed. At best this can be described as folliness.
>|> -- 
>|> Erland Sommarskog - ENEA Data, Stockholm - sommar@enea.se

>If you were watching the pre-war situation closely, the Bosnian governement 
>had no choice. Serbo-negro gangs were looting BH towns, serbian generals 
>were black-mailing the population as well as the government, and it was a 
>full-blown war against Croatia primarily from the Bosnian soil. Serbs were 
>ordered to harass the government in any possible way. Kosovo was the prior 
>example of the serbian intent, where serbian police were killing and torturing
>Albanians. Izetbegovic did everything to avoid the war. He cautiously 
>negotiated  the way toward the independence with the EC and the UN, and 
>organized a referendum only after he got a guarantees that the new country 
>will be accepted to the SCSE and UN membership, what implied an active help 
>by other members in defending the Bosnian sovereignty. Besides the great 
>majority of people of Bosnia and Herzegovina approved the independence. 
>Between freedom and death Bosnians chose freedom. They all knew there is 
>no freedom without sacrifice. However they may be only disapointed by the 
>reaction of the free world, the world in which ideals they believe, and for 
>which ideals they are dieing. The only thing the Bosnians want is to live 
>in freedom as any other civilized nation.

>Faruk.

Wouldn't it have been less bloody if the Bosnian Government FIRST promoted
UNITY of all the Bosnia and Herzegovina people, decreasing separate
national interests and getting a more united population, BEFORE secession?
Wouldn't it have been wiser to wait at least until the situation with
Croatia had somehow been resolved and more stable? Even with being
dominated by the army?

There is an old story about a baby and two women who both claimed that
it was theirs. When they came with their dispute to king Solomon, he gave
them a choice to cut up the baby and each one take a half. The true
mother then said that the other woman can take the whole baby. Then
king Solomon knew who was the true mother.

Wouldn't the Bosnian government have been the true mother to the people
of Bosnia even if they accepted the alleged dominance of the leadership of 
Serbia for a few more years, and in the mean time secured the more united 
people within Bosnia, who wouldn't start killing each other? 

Another point: the secession of Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia&Herzegovina,
and Macedonia, have in fact strengthened the regime of Milosevic, and the war 
has prolonged his and SPS's reign. Had the people of all of the republics
united against criminal leadership, today we could have had a democratic
country where no nation dominates, but all help each other in building up
economy and society. This way, each of the republics is much worse off,
much further from any democracy, prosperity, and just laws. Together,
we could have done something. Divided - we are all victims of the
same criminals who became rich sucking the last drops of the blood
of everybody.

I am here pointing to another possibility. I know that to many Bosnians
this will look like defending what the Serbian extremists have done.
I am not, they have already proven that they were not the "true mother
of the baby". The question is who is the "true mother" among the leaders
in this terrible war?