| May
16, 2002
Empire in the
Balkans: Hypocrisy Rampant Next
to the ever-present irony and all-pervading lies, hypocrisy is a major fixture
of the Balkans nowadays. Besides the usual discrepancy between words and deeds
common to politics, there is also a frequent discrepancy between words themselves,
a sure sign that those who speak them have as much commitment to principles as
a windsock. Like
Master, Like Vassal Serbian
authorities held
talks this week with high NATO officials on joining the Alliance’s "Partnership
for Peace" program. Three years ago, that same NATO was bombing Serbia to smithereens,
yet was unable to conquer it or Kosovo until resorting to treachery. Back then,
most of those who run the current government whined how the bombing might hurt
their chances to win power – not really giving a damn about the countless dead,
displaced, or dispossessed. Seeing how they are getting all friendly with NATO
– on top of all the groveling before Empire’s Hague Inquisition – their priorities
haven’t changed, only their rhetoric. When
NATO was attacking Serbia, Macedonia supported the effort, and joined the calls
branding Slobodan Milosevic a war criminal. After NATO forced
it to capitulate to the very same Albanian militants as Serbia, and as Interior
Minister Ljube Boskovski is rumored to be in the Hague Inquisition’s sights, Macedonian
media defend him much
the same way Milosevic defends himself. The irony, and the comparison, is completely
lost on the befuddled Macedonians. Neither
Belgrade nor Skopje sees anything abnormal in this sort of behavior. Apparently,
promising Serbs a better, more dignified life really meant groveling before their
executioners and being grateful for table scraps. By the same token, condemning
Serbia for defending itself from terrorists is no obstacle to protesting Macedonia’s
condemnation for the same thing. But
what can one expect, when the Empire itself, the Alpha and Omega of Balkan satraps’
universe, is engaging in some of the most outrageous feats of hypocrisy known
to man – and getting away with it? Their
Court, And Ours Some
ten days ago the US theatrically "unsigned" the treaty establishing the International
Criminal Court, the genetically enhanced spawn of its own Hague Inquisition. On
that occasion, undersecretary of state for political affairs Marc Grossman said,
"We believe that states, not international institutions, are primarily responsible
for ensuring justice in the international system." (AP,
May 6) The
same news story quotes Grossman saying that "the United States has never recognized
the right of an international organization" to try non-citizens who commit crimes
against other nation’s citizens or on their territory, as that would "threaten
US sovereignty". Further
down the article, Rep.
Henry Hyde, R-Ill., chairman of the House International Relations Committee, said,
"We simply cannot accept an international institution that claims jurisdiction
over American citizens." Both
Grossman and Hyde are absolutely right. The ICC is a threat to national
sovereignty, which is the equivalent of individual liberty in the world of foreign
relations. But substitute the "United States" with "Yugoslavia" or "Serbia," and
these statements become mere echoes of Vojislav Kostunica, Kosta Cavoski and yes,
Slobodan Milosevic. Given
its insistence on creating the Hague Inquisition to further its political aims
in the Balkans; given its merciless cajoling, blackmail and arm-twisting of Serbia
to surrender to the Inquisition’s authority; and given the current show trial
of Milosevic at The Hague, the Empire has no moral right to object to a similar
court wishing to try its citizens – unless it disavows the Hague Inquisition first.
Predictably, there has yet been no mention of the possibility. Words
and Deeds Facts
are, obviously, extremely relative when it comes to serving Empire’s purposes.
Discovery by NATO’s occupation forces of two
major weapons caches in the Muslim-controlled part of southern Bosnia was
downplayed in the media. Meanwhile, their counterparts in Kosovo have been frantically
searching for any weapons in possession of Kosovo Serbs, ransacking homes
even on Easter Sunday.
They have found nothing, because there is nothing to find – but they will keep
looking. If only they had been so eager when tons of Albanian weapons found their
way from Kosovo into Macedonia last year… Empire’s
legions behave much the same when confronting rampant organized crime. It is common
knowledge that trafficking in weapons,
drugs and sex-slaves is a very profitable venture for primarily Albanian gangsters
in NATO’s Great Protectorate. But Michael Steiner, Empire’s viceroy in Kosovo,
is far more concerned with cigarette
smugglers, because vassal governments lose "large amounts of badly needed
tax revenue." No mention of smoking being harmful to people’s health, or preferable
to hard drugs, sexual slavery or gun-running. See, there’s just no revenue
in cracking down on those… Then
there is Herr Steiner’s recently announced "reintegration" plan. Under
the cover of encouraging returns of Serbs and other non-Albanians expelled at
gunpoint (according to UNMIK, perfectly
justifiably) in 1999, Kosovo’s occupation authorities are determined to demolish
the last vestiges of Serb society in Kosovo, completely subordinating them to
the Albanian-dominated government. Nor does he stop there. In
an interview with Beta, a
Serbian news agency, Steiner criticized Kosovo Serbs for wanting "what is not
your [Serb] right"; defended his privatization plan, which seeks to plunder Serbian
property in Kosovo for sale to foreigners; rationalized the Albanian hatred of
Serbs; and even had the nerve to say he supported "decentralization of power from
higher levels to the local communities," which directly contradicts his "reintegration"
plan. Obviously,
neither Steiner nor his masters believe in much of anything except raw power.
There is certainly nothing remotely resembling principles to be found in their
words, let alone actions. And that’s what the Empire
is all about. A
Universe of Lies Lies
and hypocrisy – as a sophisticated form of lies – have been in the Balkans for
a long time. Only recently, though, has the Empire made them into a way of life,
built an entire elaborate universe out of them. In that universe, Ibrahim Rugova
can freely commit perjury
in the service of Imperial "justice," while hypocritically accusing Milosevic
of doing the same. In that universe, there can be a sham court for the Balkans
savages, but none for Imperial Übermenschen. Words and deeds are judged
not on their own merit, but rather on the political correctness of those who stand
behind them. It
is an act of supreme hubris, prideful arrogance, to defy
reality itself and try to replace
it with fiction. What dire consequences await on that road? Perhaps the ravaged
lands of the Balkans, reduced to mimicking their executioners and bowing to their
every whim, should serve as a haunting example. And
maybe, just maybe, if anyone there finds the strength and courage to say "No!"
they might yet offer an example of hope. | 
