From: josip@eng.umd.edu (Josip Loncaric)
Subject: Re: Who are the "warring parties"? (was Croatian dreams)
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 92 16:33:54 GMT
Organization: University of Maryland

In article <Dec.13.01.43.35.1992.2202@andromeda.rutgers.edu> pshane@andromeda.rutgers.edu (Ana M. Shane) writes:

>Mr. Loncaric, thank you for a fair analysis. But for the sake of
>fairness, could you also analyze in the similar vein the politics
>and the policies of the Croatian and Bosnia and Herzegovina governments?
>[...]
>>Failing that, all non-Serbian republics
>>decided they want out.  Milosevic as a leader and his Serbian chauvinism 
>>as state ideology hold no appeal to the non-Serbian peoples of the former
>>Yugoslavia...  
>
>True, but incomplete conclusion. As you pointed out yourself, this
>kind of chauvinism as state ideology holds no appeal to many Serbian
>people either. AND, there also was and is an equally strong chauvinism
                                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Not true.  Consider the present situation, and explain why chauvinists
get 6% in Croatia, 24% in Serbia&Montenegro, 10% in Slovenia and 15% in France.
Moreover, those 24% in Serbia&Montenegro are not really in opposition
because they are closely allied with Slobodan Milosevic.

Why is it that there are Serbs defending Croatia, that there are Serbs
defending Bosnia-Herzegovina?  This is not an ethnic conflict, but a
land grab by Milosevic and his Serbian chauvinists, who were hoping to split
Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina along ethnic lines.  To some extent, they have
succeeded, but not fully.

>on the part of, as you say "non-Serbian" states (Slovenia, Croatia). And
>not only chauvinism, but much more. I leave it to you to please
>analyze the politics and policies of Slovenian and Croatian states which
>have lead them to the secession and war. Please, don't misunderstand
>me, I am not blaming Croatian, Slovenian or any other PEOPLE, just the
>official leaders and their policies and deeds.
>[...]
>Just a remark, without maliciousness: how easy it is to see wrongs of
>the "others" and to be blind to the errors and wrongs committed by one's 
>own leadership. But the atrocities committed by Serbian leadership do not
>cancel and cannot cover up the same atrocities by the Croatian government.
                            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Croatian government cannot be lumped together with the Serbian
leadership by any stretch of imagination.  Just ask the U.N., Helsinki
Watch, the U.S. and the E.C. diplomats, etc.: all agree that there is no
comparison.

>And one more thing: this war will not end until the ordinary people
>of all the nationalities realize that they all are victims of their
>leaders who played them against each other like the Gladiators. The
>war in Yugoslavia can only be stopped when people realize (all the
>people: Serbs, Croats, Muslims, even Slovenes and Macedonians and
>Albanians) that the real villains are the ones who pushed them into
>the fight to cover up for their own incompetent, corrupt and criminal
>leadership which brought the whole country into the total economic
>poverty and social and cultural disintegration.
>
>[...]
>With hopes for peace
>Ana M. Shane                              voice: (215)-843-2909

With hopes for peace, I'd just like to point out the following: Slovenia,
Croatia, and other non-Serb republics have elected their leaderships in
accordance with their PEOPLE's desire to be protected from Serbian
chauvinism as embodied by Slobodan Milosevic.  Slovense were the first
to oppose his policies in Kosovo:  the whole conflict developed about
human rights in Kosovo.  This came from a deep revulsion at the methods
chosen by Milosevic; and also from self-interest because nobody wanted
to see Milosevic's methods extended to themselves.  Thus, when the
vote for independence came in Slovenia and Croatia, this was approved
by a huge 90+% margin.  The governing party in each case did not enjoy
nearly as much support.  Thus, there was NO disagreement on the need
to get out of former Yugoslavia, although there were differences on 
which party people supported.  You CANNOT blame this on "evil leaders"
when the referendum passed by 90+% in each case.  Moreover, in the case
of Croatia, I am told arithmetic shows that given the turnout and the margin
of victory, independence was supported by at least 60% of the Croatian
Serbs as well.  Whatever Serbian nationalists want you to believe,
many Croatian Serbs see Croatia and not Serbia as their country.  So this
was a decision by the PEOPLE, not just their leaders.  In my opinion,
there was no way to coerce the people, who understood very well that for
their survival a confederation or independence were essential.  Milosevic
and JNA, however, thought Slovenia and Croatia could be coerced.  They
were wrong.  They should have accepted a confederation before their war
made it impossible.  They should have accepted EC's plan (signed last
October by all republics except Serbia).  They should never have extended
the war to Bosnia.  They should not carry it on to Kosovo or Macedonia.  But 
they are sharks who have to keep on swimming or die.

Regards,
Josip

P.S. Millions of people died in this century in factional fighting among
West Europeans, and their leaders on all sides are to blame... truth or
a cop out of moral choice?

Xref: sparky alt.politics.europe.misc:187 soc.culture.yugoslavia:10018