Columns, that is. Tomorrow’s edition will be the 200th appearance of my exclusive column for Antiwar.com. It began in the fall of 2000, in the aftermath of Serbia’s “October revolution,” and has chronicled events in the former Yugoslavia ever since: the Presevo insurgency, the Djindjic assassination, the uncivil war in Macedonia, the pogrom in Kosovo, the Hague show trials, many elections, anniversaries and transitions. On several occasions it revisited history, both recent and distant, and even addressed language issues.
This isn’t the end – far from it! I intend to keep writing for as long as the situation in Yugoslavia’s successor states merits attention. Unfortunately for the people living there, that looks to be a long-term prospect.
It turned out – not surprisingly – that Slobodan Milosevic wasn’t the sole source of trouble in the region (well, there goes that conspiracy theory!), and his fall from power in 2000 didn’t do a damn thing to resolve the ongoing conflicts. Ultimately, the present crisis has roots in the demise of Yugoslavia, and until the circumstances of that murder – for that’s what it was – are addressed, the various parties involved will continue fighting over what they believe is rightfully theirs. So it looks like there will be a job chronicling that conflict for a good long time.
I do feel I owe my readers one apology. “Balkan Express” was originally intended to encompass the entire peninsula – i.e. Greece, Albania and Bulgaria (maybe even Romania) along with what used to be Yugoslavia. Over time, that aspect was gradually lost, as the “western Balkans” (the PC moniker for Yugoslavia, as even its name has apparently become anathema) took over the spotlight. However, Chris Deliso over at Balkanalysis.com has done an excellent job of addressing the issues I have neglected, and I hope that between the two of us, readers who want to re-examine the Official Truth about the Balkans find what they are looking for.
Now on to 300 and beyond…