Mental and political acrobatics: the good face of Balkanization
Biljana Vankovska
(not sure where published)
Just a week after the Montenegro’s referendum, while I was sitting in quiet and trying to pen an analysis for a Macedonian newspaper, my daughter interrupted me gently. She had just got back from Canada having taken the first year of her undergraduate studies there, so she had urge to discuss with me strange facets of the Macedonian mentality and general culture. Having been in the audience of the for-the-first time in Skopje organized Baskefest (performances of acrobats from all over the world on Skopje’s main streets), she noticed something strange with her fellow-countrymen. Namely, while an equilibrist was walking on a tight-rope across the river Vardar, instead of admiration his performance - according to my daughter - met malicious bets and ill-will wishes for him to fail and to fall in the water. While my daughter could not understand and was appalled by kind of public attitude, I started reflecting self-critically on my own attitude towards the developments in the Balkans. While listening to her, I asked myself if it was possible that my cynical attitude towards Montenegrins’ (and some others’, such as Nicholas White’s from the ICG) euphoria was so much alike the one of my fellow-citizens. Have we really lost ability to admire and congratulate others’ daring and adventurous spirit? Should we (I) be more patient and positive and allow the new Montenegrin state prove its own viability before labeling it as just one more proof of the unstoppable and still ongoing process of fragmentation of the Balkan region?
Needless to say, but throughout the last 15 years have we not seen far too much ‘daring and ‘heroism’ in state-building and nation-building efforts paid with blood and a number of lost generations? Political adventurism, accompanied by militarized crime, created a series of state and para-state entities, a process that London Independent rightly describes as “a multiplying proliferation of statelets that belong more to the world of Tintin than to what was once thought of as modern Europe.” The British journalist is puzzled because of the new state’s size (one tenth of London population). He reminds on “sleek, handsome and wily” Prime Minister Djukanovic who has been protected from criminal trial for illegal tobacco trade only thanks to his political immunity, and rightly wonders how will this state survive when out of its 600 thousand citizens only 120 thousand are employed, while the main share of country’s resources are in control of the Russian capital of suspicious origin.
Hence, why wouldn’t not one be reserved if not skeptical while analyzing (hopefully) the last wave of balkanization of the region? Isn’t it healthy and reasonable to be more cautious than Mr. White who has already seen (?!) Montenegro finally becoming a “boring state”? After all, this is not going to be the first time for me to strongly disagree with White’s overoptimistic or over pessimistic views on referendum issues or ‘success stories’ in the Balkans. While he is a well-respected analyst I am a ‘local’ who does not lack some analytical skills - and first hand life experience in the region... Let’s be frank, by default ‘locals’ are always a bit more skeptical than ‘internationals’ when playing prophets. Maybe because we (locals) have just one life and this bloody region is not a place where we build our well-paid careers; all that makes us more impatient and more critical, because we have no time to wait and see if Mr. While was right or wrong while earning his salary.
Having read the latest ICG Report “Montenegro’s Referendum” I come to think again about an equilibrist who instead of walking on a wire this time he plays with words and qualifications. From this report as well as from many other foreign analysis about the Montenegro referendum steam unbelievable praises for the latest episode of (until now infamous) balkanization. Certainly, one should expect their enthusiasm to last a little bit longer - until Kosovo issue is not fully resolved. Then, we can all live like a big happy family of small and weak states with a common goal - to unite under the EU flag once again. Few would not agree that this is the reality that can’t be denied. Yet Mr. White obviously has not heard the latest joke created on the eve of the Montenegrin referendum. It goes like this: The new name of neighbors after the referendum - Srbija and Fruska Gora (a mountain in Vojvodina province of Serbia). I do not want to be a prophet or Cassandra; I do that far too well so I am afraid to even spell out my prognosis. The international community still arrogantly believes that it could determine the beginning and the end of partition process and fails to see that it has been underway for so long. It also evaluates where referenda are desirable and where not; who can separate and who may not even think about leaving a marriage of convenience, let alone an enforced marriage in the Bosnian weird triangle.
I may fully agree that Serbia and Montenegro had to part but it is also fair to say that Solania was a dead-born which served EU to buy some time in lack of any creative solution for the extremely complex Balkan knot. It is fair to admit that the Union of Serbia and Montenegro was an ‘ingenious’ contribution of Mr. Solana to the theory of constitutionalism (very much to the rank of another unique arrangement - i.e. Dayton Constitution for Bosnia). It was born to fail - or to give Montenegro plenty of good reasons to leave their bad-named ‘brothers’ and in a way that departure got a glimpse of the divorce between the good democratic guys (Slovenia and Croatia) from the authoritarian forces (Serbia and Montenegro) at the beginning of 1990ies. So fifteen years later here we go again with the story of good and bad guys (now) in the Western Balkans.
My personal irritation regarding the superficial euphoria and applauses for the newly independent state is due to two reasons. First of all, I am fed up with black&white picture about the actors in the region, double standards and changing (inconsistent) attitude of the international community towards the axe of integration-disintegration of the region. All at sudden, we are told that there is (and has always been) “good” and “bad” balkanization. Likewise, there are “good” and “bad” terrorists, “good” and “bad” bombs, etc. Second, as a Macedonian, I can’t help my feeling of déjà-vu while watching euphoria, glass of champagne in the hands of a proud statesman who has just got down directly into history of his nation that is going to forgive and forget everything about his criminal past. Allow me just a small reminder for those who have forgotten the ‘Macedonian miracle’ and its ‘oasis of peace and multiethnic democracy’. In 1991 Macedonia was the only ex-Yugoslav republic to gain independence in a peaceful way. At that time, Montenegro decided to remain in the rump Yugoslavia taking part in the bloody dissolution of the former Federation. By a simple divorce from Serbia Montenegro can’t be possibly amnestied for its deeds in the last decade and a half. Shelling Dubrovnik was just one of them. Truly, Macedonia gained its independence in September 1991 referendum and adopted its new liberal Constitution two months later. Everything looked perfect at first sight, except that a significant part of the population boycotted both the referendum and the adoption of the Constitution. The only difference is that then ‘opposing’ party in Macedonia were the citizens of Albanian origin, while Montenegro managed to gain its Albanians’ hearts - but not of another far more numerous part of its population. The interplay of the regional constellation, weak state institutions and the corruptive elites made a heaven for organized and transnational crime out of Macedonia. While mafia businesses gradually overtook the state, in Montenegro it seems it has been other way around - the mafia business under political patronage has just got a state. Nevertheless, a quick overview of the region displays a very interesting gallery of high ranking politicians and prime-ministers with suspicious criminal and/or war records.
Although with 15 years delay, Montenegrin citizens seem to have made the right decision. The question, however, is if they did have any choice at all? In my view, one of the best achievements of the re-gained independence would be in the fact that their elites have finally lost the main alibi for their political failures. The “big bad wolf” (Serbia) can now be distanced so that the Montenegrin politicians will have to be accountable to their citizens. Still there is solid ground for suspicion that Djukanovic (who was until now protected from police investigations and court trials by the mere fact of his constitutional immunity) will be now even more ‘untouchable’ due to his ‘historical achievement’. In many prior cases, Balkan nations proved to be merciful and forgetful towards their fathers of the nation. They have even forgiven them even war crimes and corruption scandals. Why would here be different? In the coming years, Montenegrin citizens will be so much preoccupied by state-building (patriotic) endeavors that there will be no time for criticism or accountability. The politicians, on their side, will have plenty of promises about joining NATO and EU. We, in Macedonia, have gone though it so it’s not difficult to imagine the pains of democracy-building in such circumstances.
Finally, there is just one more thing that puzzles me in Mr. White’s rosy report. He predicts that Euro-integration process will now finally speed up and the whole region can get rid of horrendous past and will turn towards the bright European future. Smells like a carrot, isn’t it? In the words of a member of the Economist Intelligence Unit (said during a conference held in Italy in mid January 2006) - EU and the Western Balkans resemble two ailing patients and it is hard to say who is sicker and how will he help the other. I can’t agree more! Even from my Balkan ‘frog’ perspective it’s not difficult to see the deepening crisis of the EU. European critics of EU elitism or of EU politics of value allocation (among the richest ones) speak loudly of the growing democratic deficit of the Union, which is the words of a sharp-witted intellectual makes Central Committee of the China’s Communist Party look very democratic. May one blame French and Dutch citizens for their demands for better economic performance, more democratic dialogue, more social justice, growing inter-ethnic intolerance, etc.? European citizens, if anybody asks them, are not fond of their poor relatives and newcomers. Poor Montenegrins! Now when they have divorced Serbs because their ‘marriage’ lacked love and trust, do they really believe that Europeans will be joyful to embrace them?
So what shell we (the locals) do in this situation? I find this question ridiculous because among so much unfinished homework and grave social-economic situation in the region why should we worry about EU’s health? We are dying out of galloping cancer of poverty, unemployment and corrupted governments. And Mr. White speaks about flourishing democracy and boredom!!! Oh, no! It will be interesting in the coming years as it has always been in the Balkans - unless there is a radical change on the top. The region needs no carrots and empty praises, but concrete assistance and EU’s readiness to accept “new imaginative leadership” in this region. As long as EU or USA prefer to deal with their well-known crooks there will be no talk about EU membership or sustainable peace and democracy. So I would suggest a division of labor between me and guys like Mr. White: why don’t we, each of us, turn to do his/her own homework first? Mr. White’s expertise may be very useful for EU itself. He may, for instance, deliver a lecture to the French and explain them how they should become a boring country. As for us here I would remind on an old (Serbian or Montenegrin, does not really matter) proverb: Uzdaj se u se i u svoje kljuse! Rely on yourself and on your own donkey!
(not sure where published)
Just a week after the Montenegro’s referendum, while I was sitting in quiet and trying to pen an analysis for a Macedonian newspaper, my daughter interrupted me gently. She had just got back from Canada having taken the first year of her undergraduate studies there, so she had urge to discuss with me strange facets of the Macedonian mentality and general culture. Having been in the audience of the for-the-first time in Skopje organized Baskefest (performances of acrobats from all over the world on Skopje’s main streets), she noticed something strange with her fellow-countrymen. Namely, while an equilibrist was walking on a tight-rope across the river Vardar, instead of admiration his performance - according to my daughter - met malicious bets and ill-will wishes for him to fail and to fall in the water. While my daughter could not understand and was appalled by kind of public attitude, I started reflecting self-critically on my own attitude towards the developments in the Balkans. While listening to her, I asked myself if it was possible that my cynical attitude towards Montenegrins’ (and some others’, such as Nicholas White’s from the ICG) euphoria was so much alike the one of my fellow-citizens. Have we really lost ability to admire and congratulate others’ daring and adventurous spirit? Should we (I) be more patient and positive and allow the new Montenegrin state prove its own viability before labeling it as just one more proof of the unstoppable and still ongoing process of fragmentation of the Balkan region?
Needless to say, but throughout the last 15 years have we not seen far too much ‘daring and ‘heroism’ in state-building and nation-building efforts paid with blood and a number of lost generations? Political adventurism, accompanied by militarized crime, created a series of state and para-state entities, a process that London Independent rightly describes as “a multiplying proliferation of statelets that belong more to the world of Tintin than to what was once thought of as modern Europe.” The British journalist is puzzled because of the new state’s size (one tenth of London population). He reminds on “sleek, handsome and wily” Prime Minister Djukanovic who has been protected from criminal trial for illegal tobacco trade only thanks to his political immunity, and rightly wonders how will this state survive when out of its 600 thousand citizens only 120 thousand are employed, while the main share of country’s resources are in control of the Russian capital of suspicious origin.
Hence, why wouldn’t not one be reserved if not skeptical while analyzing (hopefully) the last wave of balkanization of the region? Isn’t it healthy and reasonable to be more cautious than Mr. White who has already seen (?!) Montenegro finally becoming a “boring state”? After all, this is not going to be the first time for me to strongly disagree with White’s overoptimistic or over pessimistic views on referendum issues or ‘success stories’ in the Balkans. While he is a well-respected analyst I am a ‘local’ who does not lack some analytical skills - and first hand life experience in the region... Let’s be frank, by default ‘locals’ are always a bit more skeptical than ‘internationals’ when playing prophets. Maybe because we (locals) have just one life and this bloody region is not a place where we build our well-paid careers; all that makes us more impatient and more critical, because we have no time to wait and see if Mr. While was right or wrong while earning his salary.
Having read the latest ICG Report “Montenegro’s Referendum” I come to think again about an equilibrist who instead of walking on a wire this time he plays with words and qualifications. From this report as well as from many other foreign analysis about the Montenegro referendum steam unbelievable praises for the latest episode of (until now infamous) balkanization. Certainly, one should expect their enthusiasm to last a little bit longer - until Kosovo issue is not fully resolved. Then, we can all live like a big happy family of small and weak states with a common goal - to unite under the EU flag once again. Few would not agree that this is the reality that can’t be denied. Yet Mr. White obviously has not heard the latest joke created on the eve of the Montenegrin referendum. It goes like this: The new name of neighbors after the referendum - Srbija and Fruska Gora (a mountain in Vojvodina province of Serbia). I do not want to be a prophet or Cassandra; I do that far too well so I am afraid to even spell out my prognosis. The international community still arrogantly believes that it could determine the beginning and the end of partition process and fails to see that it has been underway for so long. It also evaluates where referenda are desirable and where not; who can separate and who may not even think about leaving a marriage of convenience, let alone an enforced marriage in the Bosnian weird triangle.
I may fully agree that Serbia and Montenegro had to part but it is also fair to say that Solania was a dead-born which served EU to buy some time in lack of any creative solution for the extremely complex Balkan knot. It is fair to admit that the Union of Serbia and Montenegro was an ‘ingenious’ contribution of Mr. Solana to the theory of constitutionalism (very much to the rank of another unique arrangement - i.e. Dayton Constitution for Bosnia). It was born to fail - or to give Montenegro plenty of good reasons to leave their bad-named ‘brothers’ and in a way that departure got a glimpse of the divorce between the good democratic guys (Slovenia and Croatia) from the authoritarian forces (Serbia and Montenegro) at the beginning of 1990ies. So fifteen years later here we go again with the story of good and bad guys (now) in the Western Balkans.
My personal irritation regarding the superficial euphoria and applauses for the newly independent state is due to two reasons. First of all, I am fed up with black&white picture about the actors in the region, double standards and changing (inconsistent) attitude of the international community towards the axe of integration-disintegration of the region. All at sudden, we are told that there is (and has always been) “good” and “bad” balkanization. Likewise, there are “good” and “bad” terrorists, “good” and “bad” bombs, etc. Second, as a Macedonian, I can’t help my feeling of déjà-vu while watching euphoria, glass of champagne in the hands of a proud statesman who has just got down directly into history of his nation that is going to forgive and forget everything about his criminal past. Allow me just a small reminder for those who have forgotten the ‘Macedonian miracle’ and its ‘oasis of peace and multiethnic democracy’. In 1991 Macedonia was the only ex-Yugoslav republic to gain independence in a peaceful way. At that time, Montenegro decided to remain in the rump Yugoslavia taking part in the bloody dissolution of the former Federation. By a simple divorce from Serbia Montenegro can’t be possibly amnestied for its deeds in the last decade and a half. Shelling Dubrovnik was just one of them. Truly, Macedonia gained its independence in September 1991 referendum and adopted its new liberal Constitution two months later. Everything looked perfect at first sight, except that a significant part of the population boycotted both the referendum and the adoption of the Constitution. The only difference is that then ‘opposing’ party in Macedonia were the citizens of Albanian origin, while Montenegro managed to gain its Albanians’ hearts - but not of another far more numerous part of its population. The interplay of the regional constellation, weak state institutions and the corruptive elites made a heaven for organized and transnational crime out of Macedonia. While mafia businesses gradually overtook the state, in Montenegro it seems it has been other way around - the mafia business under political patronage has just got a state. Nevertheless, a quick overview of the region displays a very interesting gallery of high ranking politicians and prime-ministers with suspicious criminal and/or war records.
Although with 15 years delay, Montenegrin citizens seem to have made the right decision. The question, however, is if they did have any choice at all? In my view, one of the best achievements of the re-gained independence would be in the fact that their elites have finally lost the main alibi for their political failures. The “big bad wolf” (Serbia) can now be distanced so that the Montenegrin politicians will have to be accountable to their citizens. Still there is solid ground for suspicion that Djukanovic (who was until now protected from police investigations and court trials by the mere fact of his constitutional immunity) will be now even more ‘untouchable’ due to his ‘historical achievement’. In many prior cases, Balkan nations proved to be merciful and forgetful towards their fathers of the nation. They have even forgiven them even war crimes and corruption scandals. Why would here be different? In the coming years, Montenegrin citizens will be so much preoccupied by state-building (patriotic) endeavors that there will be no time for criticism or accountability. The politicians, on their side, will have plenty of promises about joining NATO and EU. We, in Macedonia, have gone though it so it’s not difficult to imagine the pains of democracy-building in such circumstances.
Finally, there is just one more thing that puzzles me in Mr. White’s rosy report. He predicts that Euro-integration process will now finally speed up and the whole region can get rid of horrendous past and will turn towards the bright European future. Smells like a carrot, isn’t it? In the words of a member of the Economist Intelligence Unit (said during a conference held in Italy in mid January 2006) - EU and the Western Balkans resemble two ailing patients and it is hard to say who is sicker and how will he help the other. I can’t agree more! Even from my Balkan ‘frog’ perspective it’s not difficult to see the deepening crisis of the EU. European critics of EU elitism or of EU politics of value allocation (among the richest ones) speak loudly of the growing democratic deficit of the Union, which is the words of a sharp-witted intellectual makes Central Committee of the China’s Communist Party look very democratic. May one blame French and Dutch citizens for their demands for better economic performance, more democratic dialogue, more social justice, growing inter-ethnic intolerance, etc.? European citizens, if anybody asks them, are not fond of their poor relatives and newcomers. Poor Montenegrins! Now when they have divorced Serbs because their ‘marriage’ lacked love and trust, do they really believe that Europeans will be joyful to embrace them?
So what shell we (the locals) do in this situation? I find this question ridiculous because among so much unfinished homework and grave social-economic situation in the region why should we worry about EU’s health? We are dying out of galloping cancer of poverty, unemployment and corrupted governments. And Mr. White speaks about flourishing democracy and boredom!!! Oh, no! It will be interesting in the coming years as it has always been in the Balkans - unless there is a radical change on the top. The region needs no carrots and empty praises, but concrete assistance and EU’s readiness to accept “new imaginative leadership” in this region. As long as EU or USA prefer to deal with their well-known crooks there will be no talk about EU membership or sustainable peace and democracy. So I would suggest a division of labor between me and guys like Mr. White: why don’t we, each of us, turn to do his/her own homework first? Mr. White’s expertise may be very useful for EU itself. He may, for instance, deliver a lecture to the French and explain them how they should become a boring country. As for us here I would remind on an old (Serbian or Montenegrin, does not really matter) proverb: Uzdaj se u se i u svoje kljuse! Rely on yourself and on your own donkey!