Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Once, There Was Yugoslavia

Beh, ora saranno pure tutti più piccoli, più poveri, con tanti lutti 
sulle spalle e odio nelle vene, ma vuoi mettere la soddisfazione di 
poter esercitare la sovranità nazionale nei propri confini?
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Once, There Was Yugoslavia
By Vesna Peric Zimonjic
BELGRADE, Jun 24, 2011 (IPS) - For decades, the former Yugoslavia was a 
communist country with a human face, whose nations enjoyed high 
standards of living compared to other Eastern Europeans, visa-free 
travel abroad, and participatory government. Twenty years ago, on Jun. 
25, all that ended.
It ended for a country where private property was allowed, be it homes 
or small business. Education and healthcare were free, jobs were secure, 
and Yugoslavia had a firm reputation as one of the leaders of the 
non-aligned movement.
On Jun. 25, 1991, the most developed republics of Croatia and Slovenia 
made unilateral declarations of independence. They saw the Serbian 
leader at the time, Slobodan Milosevic, as the incarnation of evil who 
wanted their nations to remain under what they saw as the iron rule of 
Belgrade in a world that had changed after the fall of Berlin wall in 1989.
Milosevic was acting as the protector of all Serbs, who lived outside 
present day Serbia in hundreds of thousands in Croatia and Bosnia. He 
publicly declared "the need for all Serbs to live in one country."
"Those two things set the stage for the wars of the 90s," historian 
Predrag Markovic tells IPS. "After the human loss of some 150,000 people 
and enormous economic losses, it is hard to say what the benefit of 
independence was for some 24 million people who lived in former 
Yugoslavia. Yes, they are proud of having their own countries, but the 
essential substance of serious states is lacking in almost all when 
compared to former federation."
Slovenia with a population of two million, Croatia with 4.6 million, 
Bosnia-Herzegovina 4.2 million, Serbia 7.5 million, Montenegro 650,000 
and Macedonia with two million people are quite different places now. 
The three leaders that led nations in wars of the 90s, Croatian 
president Franjo Tudjman, Bosniak leader Alija Izetbegovic and Milosevic 
are all dead.
The most developed Slovenia is so far the only member of the European 
Union (EU), since 2004. Croatia stands next in line for membership in 
2013. Montenegro and Macedonia are candidates; Serbia awaits its status 
by the end of the year, while Bosnia-Herzegovina is unable to recover 
from the 1992-95 wars.
"The EU was our only and natural choice," Slovenian economist Joze 
Mencinger tells IPS. "But we have a tiny say in the EU, smaller than 
ever in former Yugoslavia."
Apart from human losses and direct war damages in the 1991-95 period, 
sociologist Milan Nikolic singles out "the collapse of values such as 
empathy, solidarity, intolerance of crime - organised or other etc…But 
the world has also changed so much since 1991. We all have to look into 
future."
Of the many devastating effects of the disintegration of former 
Yugoslavia, the economic crisis is striking. The debt crisis is hitting 
all former Yugoslav nations hard due to the economic consequences of the 
war (particularly in Bosnia), as production is low, imports are high and 
transition into a market economy has taken its toll in a massive loss of 
jobs. A lack of substantial foreign investments since the global 
economic crisis is also hitting hard.
Unemployment in Slovenia is the lowest - around 10 percent. It reaches a 
staggering 40 percent in Bosnia.
The foreign debt of the six new nations is 171 billion dollars, compared 
to former Yugoslavia’s debt of 24 billion dollars. Macedonia has the 
lowest, 2.5 billion dollars, and Croatia the highest, 64 billion dollars.
Production level (except in Slovenia) has not reached the level of 1989, 
the best year prior to wars. All former Yugoslav statisticians use that 
as a benchmark.
"Had we not fought in wars, Yugoslavia would have been in the EU long 
ago and the development level could have been at least double compared 
to 1989," Nikolic says.
But for many people, such ideas mean little. Many young people are 
almost unaware there was a Yugoslavia once, as history books differ and 
give only a superficial overview of the past.
"I don't know what Dubrovnik is," 22-year-old Bojan Stancic from 
Kraljevo in Serbia tells IPS, when asked about the most prominent 
tourist spot on the Croatian Adriatic coast. "It's Croatia? Well, that's 
a foreign country I plan to visit one day."
Many older people still have connections that date to the days of former 
Yugoslavia.
"I have family in Belgrade and we go to visit," says Dara Buncic (65), a 
pensioner from Zagreb in Croatia. "It still has the outlines of the 
capital of a big country. We are all small now (new nations) but I tell 
friends to go and see it (Belgrade)…it's part of our common history no 
matter how proud we are being independent Croatia."
"Until 20 years ago, I spent two months each year on Croatian coast 
since the age of two," says Belgradian Sasa Jaksic (55). "We had family 
there. So, in the 35 years of former Yugoslavia I can say I spent a 
total of almost six years living in Croatia. No one can take that from 
me, or the memories of good times we had in former Yugoslavia." (END)
-- 
Sostieni Rete ECO
http://rete-eco.it/it/sostienici.html

 Beh, ora saranno pure tutti più piccoli, più poveri
No.
-- 
Io non gufo l'Inter. Le spacco le corna.

 Beh, ora saranno pure tutti più piccoli, più poveri
Dillo a uno sloveno, ma temo ti risponderà a pernacchie.

 poter esercitare la sovranità nazionale nei propri confini?
dici quindi che i palestinesi non si accontentano di uno Stato?

 soddisfazione di poter esercitare la sovranità nazionale nei propri confini?
Una ragazza di sarajevo con cui facevo l'univerita' nel 93 mi disse che fino a pochi anni prima nessuno nemmeno sapeva di che 
religione era tra i giovani, poi quando sono cominciate a volare le pallottole ovviamente ognuno ha dovuto decidere con chi stare.....
Giulia

 Giulia
Bel nome
PP


Il nazionalismo è come un veleno che fa impazzire le persone.
Purtroppo è in libera vendita, e qualunque canaglia può somministrarlo a 
chi vuole senza infrangere alcuna legge.


 qui.
Boh, giudica tu da quello che scrivo se sono o non sono europeista.  Di 
sicuro non sono nazionalista nemmeno in riferimento all'Europa.


 sicuro non sono nazionalista nemmeno in riferimento all'Europa.
ma per i palestinesi fai eccezione e, a supporto del loro
nazionalismo, scrivi rutilanti pirlate.