As late as Monday, it had appeared that the government in Belgrade would accept the demands from Brussels and capitulate on Kosovo. The province, occupied by NATO in 1999, was declared independent in February 2008, but despite the Empire’s insistence, even the most dedicated of quislings in Belgrade have been unwilling to recognize this.
When it became clear that the previous government, led by Boris Tadic’s Democratic Party, was unable to carry out the mission for which it was installed in power, the Empire castled: the farcical election in May 2012 ended with a candidate from the Empire-reinvented Progressive Party replacing Tadic as president, while his party replaced the Democrats in the otherwise little-changed cabinet.
The Progressives were created by a hostile takeover of the Radical Party, whose refusal to submit to the Empire got it branded as “ultranationalist” and “hardline.” As the spin went, the Progs were just as patriotic as they were as Radicals, only more sophisticated and capable of delivering on the European pipe dream.
Now they, too, have failed their masters.
Unconditional Surrender
Anxious to “finish the job” in the Balkans, the Empire has pressed Belgrade to sign agreements amounting to official recognition of Kosovo’s “independence.” They aren’t called recognition in diplomatic doublespeak, of course, but “normalization of relations” – but the ultimate result would be Serbia treating of its occupied province as an independent state.
In December 2012, Belgrade agreed to “integrated border management” with the Albanian regime in Pristina, pulling the rug under the Serb community in the north of the province that has successfully resisted the Albanian takeover for years. Belgrade then proposed a “platform” for talks, essentially abandoning all claim to the province and attempting to secure “self-governance” for the four northern counties. This was a watered-down version of the 2007 Ahtisaari Plan, concocted by the Empire to provide a pretext for “Kosovian” independence, but rejected at the UN and by the Serbian government at the time.
Yet even that was deemed too much by the Albanians. While the actual content of the proposals on the table remains a mystery, leaks in the pro-government Serbian press and the Western mainstream media suggest that Belgrade was asked for unconditional surrender. All that was offered in return was a vague promise of a date on which negotiations on Serbia’s EU accession might begin – something the Germans had already said was extremely unlikely.
“Eleven Days of Hell”
On March 23, the deputy PM and head of the Progressive Party Aleksandar Vucic, told reporters that the government was in for “eleven days of Hell.” They were desperate to please the EU and really wanted to accept the ultimatum, but they needed something, anything they could spin as a victory at home. There have already been protests and campaigns against the government’s treason throughout Serbia, becoming more numerous by the day.
From Brussels and Berlin to Washington and the mainstream press, everyone expected Belgrade to cave. The outcome was presented as an inevitability, and the current status spun as Serbia’s enforced “partition” of rightfully ethnic Albanian territory. To ensure Belgrade got the message, on March 28 the EU “courts” in the occupied province convicted three Serbs over an incident in 2008, during an attempted NATO takeover of the north. Needless to say, there have been no convictions over the deadly 2004 pogrom targeting the Serbs…
The PM penned an op-ed in the pro-regime weekly NIN, dismissing the Constitution as a “lie” and advocating the surrender of Kosovo. Mladjan Dinkic – the man who has been in charge of ruining Serbia’s economy since October 2000, no matter who led the government – actually told the media that Serbia “must accept” the ultimatum or face “isolation.” In short, all signs pointed to a “yes” from Belgrade.
But the answer that came was “no.”
An Unwanted Victory
It is impossible to say with any certainty what went on in the minds of Tomislav Nikolic, Ivica Dacic and Aleksandar Vucic when they made the decision. Best one can tell, their fear of popular anger spilling over into violence outweighed – perhaps only temporarily – their fear of disobeying the Empire. That the current “deal” offered Serbia nothing, and demanded everything, probably didn’t make much of a difference. Saying “no” to Brussels wasn’t necessarily about getting a better deal for Serbia, as much as getting a better deal for themselves. The hapless quislings thus managed to turn a certain defeat, towards which they labored, into a victory they neither wanted nor deserved.
Over the past week, the three have been meeting with EU and US officials, trying to explain themselves. The pro-Imperial daily Danas has claimed that the government is in “constant contact” with Washington and Berlin, trying to get an improved proposal they would be willing to sign.
Judging by the statements by Washington’s envoy Phillip Reeker, however, the Empire is unlikely to budge.
Sideshow at the UN
Further complicating the picture was the session of the UN General Assembly on April 10, called by the former Serbian FM Vuk Jeremic to address the work of Empire’s “war crimes tribunal”. The U.S., Canada and Jordan boycotted the debate, calling it “inflammatory.” Additionally, the U.S. mission claimed that the debated “fail[ed] to provide the victims of these atrocities an appropriate voice.”
Jeremic had bent over backwards to do just that, however, by allowing a leader of the “Mothers of Srebrenica” to attend the session, though the organization lacked UN standing. Munira Subasic then tried to disrupt the debate by flashing a tee-shirt with a message calling the Bosnian Serb Republic “genocidal”, and was removed from the chambers.
Perhaps what really bothered the Empire was the unusually firm speech by Serbia’s president Nikolic, who for once managed to accurately represent his constituents.
Show Must Go On
There are no indications the Empire has abandoned its Balkan policy. It is definitely too early to tell whether the quisling leadership in Serbia might be trying to change course. But their refusal to follow the script, both in Brussels and in New York, suggests things aren’t quite as neatly wrapped as Imperial propaganda suggested just a week ago.
A spree shooting that took place on Tuesday at a village near Belgrade is a reminder that many Serbs own weapons, and might become willing to use them under the right circumstances. Media spin is trying to blame the spree on the killer’s alleged post-traumatic stress from the 1991 war in present-day Croatia. However, it is far more likely he was driven mad by the media-created climate of despair, combined with recently becoming unemployed, rather than events from two decades ago.
Not unexpectedly, Belgrade has made noises about gun control, and it is possible that this incident might be used as a pretext to disarm the populace. If successful, the government might be far more willing to capitulate to outside demands than it is now.
Meanwhile, the pro-Imperial regime in Montenegro came close to losing power in last weekend’s presidential election. In a most undiplomatic gaffe, a German parliamentarian delegation tried to run the deputy PM’s press conference in Belgrade. And Moscow just approved a $500 million loan to Serbia, intended to plug Belgrade’s gaping budget holes. Considering that one of the government’s arguments for accepting the EU ultimatum was that Serbia would “starve” otherwise, this might prove important in more than one way.
What is important to remember is that this has never really been so much about Serbia as about power, control of the Balkans, and thus the nexus between Europe and the Middle East, as well as Russia’s access to the Mediterranean. The great global game of thrones is still very much afoot…
Read more by Nebojsa Malic
- Lawless: An Oddly Exceptional Empire – March 28th, 2013
- Illusion of Triumph – March 21st, 2013
- Commanding the Tides – February 28th, 2013
- Still a Lie – February 15th, 2013
- Two Simple Rules – January 31st, 2013
tinkersailor
April 12th, 2013 at 10:35 pm
My, my…my!! How things seem to get interesting just when they were to have slunk into dullness.. Perhaps the election that seemed to change nothing , may have changed everything as well….. It all goes to show how nothing is as it seems to consensus media and the sad and sadder state of establishment think. Notwithstanding these recent wrinkles in empire's Balkan plans, I for one would predict that the unpleasant status quo is a small victory that empire must grudgingly acknowledge to overcome. Otherwise local obstructions to their plans of absolute hegemony and quickly, before the entire underfunded enterprise comes apart , will be tested. And history tells us, the Balkans is not anyplace where empire wishes to see their strength diverted as Russia raises the stakes 500 million. God forbid Serbia should win the hollow prize of membership in the imploding scheme. Drowning States will clutch at any hope. Still when the cards are reshuffled and dealt out in the next round of empire games, political leaders of every stripe and state will be watching, so empire will be looking to save face. If it can't cow the broken remnants of a greater Serbia, their much touted turn to confront China will only draw a few chuckles, jeers and perhaps a raspberry or two…
Severomorsk
April 13th, 2013 at 6:28 am
Obviously, the German €USSR didn´t see that coming and neither did i. This puppet regime was supposed to deliver, it was a done deal, wasn´t it?
For the many reasons Malic mentioned there is another one i guess and that is that not even a western imposed, anti-serbian puppet regime will go down in history signing off Kosovo voluntarily. The day after such a deal there will be no more Serbia as we know it and the rest would be up for grabs. Not that THAT alone would concern these western infected Otporists but knowing that anyone signing such a deal probably wouldn´t live to see the next sunset, certainly does….
MichaelKenny
April 13th, 2013 at 8:08 am
The usual Marxism. "When our pals win, it's a triumph for democracy. When they lose, the election was rigged". And the pipedreams about 1914 all over again. Serbia is landlocked and has no common border with Russia. How could it provide Russia with "access to the Mediterranean"? Just stirring the contents of a very cold and congealed pot!
3oka
April 13th, 2013 at 9:59 am
Via Montenegro you dummy which is "independent" country now.
For now…
ML3
April 13th, 2013 at 10:07 am
Kosovo is about as real a country as Atlantis.
Remind me, who was the West to go in and decide that a piece of Serbia should be lopped off?
Ozymandias
April 13th, 2013 at 10:33 am
Who in his right mind would want to be under the thumb of the genocidal Serbs. Over and over again they have attacked their Muslim neighbors.
eric siverson
April 13th, 2013 at 9:17 pm
I really don't consider base Bondsteel a legitimate airbase anymore . I don't know where they could move to in europe , and be considered welcome . Why doesn't Germany or France take over and find a friendly place for Bondsteel in their own country . When the Serbs finally realize that Russia is their only friends they will have to tell Germany and the E.U. to take a good long Ice bath .Its Germany and the quizling E.U .that should be isolated , becuase they are totalitarian national socialists .. Nothing more .Same as once before
UltraBulgar OverLord
April 14th, 2013 at 3:13 am
"There are no indications the Empire has abandoned its Balkan policy."
And what policy is that? On one side trying to bring them all into the EU and once accomplished, try to isolate them as much as possible? They don't want Balkan nations, but don't want them to be independent either. This second class treatment will just serve to promote the right direction our corner of the world really should have went after the cold war. A north-south economic zone, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia. Like the Roman Empire, the EU is too big and centrist to be able to fulfill the wishes of all its citizens. We need two EU's, not one.. I'm sick of Germany & France ignoring the rules when it suits them and using hammers when others don't!
https://www.google.se/search?client=opera&q=b…
First it was British hysteria over Polish immigrants and now its Bulgarians and Romanians. Add how the EU has blocked those countries from joining the Schengen despite that they have QUALIFIED FOR YEARS… The EU speaks nicely at first but once you are about to join the same clubs n rules, they show how they really feel about Eastern Europeans. Why do I bring this up, well, expect the same for Croatia, and later Serbia. And my main point, all the media spin about innocent fluffy Albanians, well they used to call UCK drug running terrorists and criminals, they will "suddenly" remember all that.. If kosovO wants to join the EU, it wont be this century. A criminal black hole of heroin running genocidal fascists, their best hope would be to sell all their assets to the West, and they would still be blocked until doomsday. Will Kosovo be able to join the Euro? Aaa hah aha haa haa haa, Albanians are so delusional, they have alienated all their neighbors, even Bulgarians despise them because of Macedonia.
Yugoslavia tried to include them and opened the floodgates for them to pour from Albania to Kosovo, despite basically handing them Kosovo on a silver platter, they were unable to show any sort of gratitude and desire to co-exist with their neighbors. They live in some fantasy-land that they are pure illyrians (whatever that is, illyria extended as far north as todays Slovenia) and their neighbors are all aliens from another planet that must be pushed out of the Balkans. Serbs, Bulgarians are "Slavic invaders" but hold on, why aren't they all a bunch of blonde Russians then? Why do they have Mediterrean looks? Albanians are too paranoid to realize that they are related to the "slavic invaders" and also they didn't have any medieval statehood. When they weren't ruled by Byzantium, entire Albanian regions of today were under medieval Bulgaria and Serbia, so they Albanians, have Slavic blood in them. Albanians have painted themselves into a corner, the EU doesn't really want them, and I don't see them being much welcome to our future north-south economic zone I first talked about in this post. Albanians were always puppets of others, and that is their only future. If not the EU or us, they will come under Turkey most likely, but that will just be some minor economic partnership as the Turks have not much to gain and the region is fundamentally protected by Russia from any Turkish neo-Ottoman pipe-dreams.
To have a future, one must think beyond the wants and desires of ones own nation only, but care about the neighbors as well to see the whole picture and create regional harmony. This is the fundamental flaw of the Albanians, narrow-minded delusional good for nothings.
UltraBulgar OverLord
April 14th, 2013 at 3:23 am
Oh, and the Greeks seem pretty tired of the EU too, we should include them as well.
Aleksandar
April 14th, 2013 at 12:35 pm
What about the Macedonians?
3oka
April 14th, 2013 at 3:42 pm
Bondsteel is important as a hub where heroin from Afghanistan is delivered, refined in nearby labs and then distributed by Albanian's mafia throughout Europe.
Western financial institutions are very interested for undisturbed business since drugs are by far the biggest source of cash, so scarce these days.
Bianca
April 14th, 2013 at 9:14 pm
You live in Matrix. When you choose to get out, there is an entirely different world for you to see. It is up to you. You can live in a lie, and live a lie — your choice. For those who left Matrix long time ago, your types sound like straight out of Mesolitic era.
Bianca
April 14th, 2013 at 9:16 pm
Yep. It is just about only profitable empire business left.
Guest
April 14th, 2013 at 11:33 pm
I hope Golden Dawn comes to power in Greece and tell the EU to go pound sand.
UltraBulgar OverLord
April 15th, 2013 at 8:57 am
Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot we are all Macedonians..
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=142135
Aleksandar
April 15th, 2013 at 2:02 pm
Thanks, just wanted to check if something has changed. Apparently not. This is your concern for your neighbors. And, if you don't happen to particularly like them, you just proclaim that they don't exist. What a perfect little scheme.
UltraBulgar OverLord
April 19th, 2013 at 11:56 am
They were just testing the waters…looks like a full blown betrayal happened now…basically recognized Kosovo…May the quislings burn in hell.
Brian
April 19th, 2013 at 4:53 pm
A week later and Albanians get everything Serbs get nothing is the official deal
Brian
April 19th, 2013 at 4:56 pm
Correct -the deal is total recognition of "kosova" independence by Serbia – no disputes about that
Hrebeljanovic
April 20th, 2013 at 12:29 am
Nebojsa,
I hate to remind you but I did tell you it was a charade, 'member? Once a traitor, always a traitor.