Author: Nebojsa Malic

However embarrassing a second death in six days might be, the Hague Inquisition probably breathed a sigh of relief when Slobodan Milosevic was found dead today. Continue reading “Milosevic dead, Tribunal relieved”

Jeremy noted how evidence has shown Saddam Hussein pardoned two men who plotted to kill him, and jailed the head of his secret police when four innocent men were executed.

As part of his defense before the Hague Inquisition, Slobodan Milosevic has presented many documents showing that he never ordered any of the crimes he’s accused of (even more so, that there was no evidence many of the crimes he’s accused of actually happened), and that instead, his government actually prosecuted military and police personnel who were murdering or mistreating civilians, seizing or destroying their property.

Imperial aggression is always preceded by a propaganda campaign painting their target as the new Hitler, and coming up with fresh lies after the original ones have gone stale and rotten. As a libertarian, I’m opposed to both the kind of satrapy Saddam Hussein ran, and to the post-modern, managerial state Milosevic presided over. But the Empire, which has all but eradicated liberty at home and has military presence in just about every country abroad, engages in wanton aggression, torture and hate-mongering, has absolutely no right to judge either of them. Something about the speck in someone else’s eye and a beam in one’s own, as I recall from the religious heritage of America’s founders…

I read Francis Fukuyama’s renunciation of neoconservatism with amusement, as I realized that he did not so much object to its goals (American empire, global “democrayc”) nor even its means (warfare, propaganda) but to its manner – i.e. unilateral, callous, arrogant. Jim Lobe’s excellent piece, highlighting the key points in Fukuyama’s apostasy, confirmed my initial assessment: Fukuyama abandoned neocons, only to join the “neolibs.”

Instead of denouncing the whole concept of American Imperium, with an omnipotent, aggressive state both at home and abroad, Fukuyama is peddling “realistic Wilsonianism” and multilateral interventionism. It’s lipstick on a pig; perhaps, had G.W. Bush never happened, the world could still blithely accept Clintonian justifications for imperial aggression, but now that they’ve had the taste of the iron fist sans the velvet glove, will they ever be so gullible about Washington again?

Fukuyama’s supposedly radical break isn’t radical at all; he’s still an imperialist, only in slightly different colors. But his vision of the Imperium smells as rank as what we have today.

Today’s front page links to a Reuters story that claims Gen. Ratko Mladic, wartime commander of the Bosnian Serb military, was arrested earlier today. Reuters based their claim on reports by Serbian media. However, Serbian government denied the arrest actually took place, and even the Hague Inquisition has issued a denial and termed the story “rumors.” Continue reading “Mladic arrest – truth or rumors?”

General Ante Gotovina, hunted by the Hague Inquisition over his role in the 1995 blitzkrieg against the Krajina Serbs, was arrested in the Canary Islands (Spain) on Wednesday evening.

Croatian authorities, who have steadfastly maintained that Gotovina was not in Croatia, breathed a sigh of relief. But Gotovina’s arrest, for all the pleasure that it gives the Head Inquisitor Carla Del Ponte, will have interesting political side-effects.

For years now, Washington and Brussels have been using Gotovina as leverage against Zagreb, invoking Croatia’s “cooperation” with the Inquisition (or lack thereof) whenever they wanted something. Now that Gotovina has been arrested, that leverage is gone.

As for Gotovina personally, he’s got reason to hope. Just last week, the Inquisition acquitted top KLA commanders of running a torture camp, and
sent them back to Kosovo for victory parades. Their indictments were used as an example of ICTY’s “fairness” and “impartiality,” aimed at Serbia, just as Gotovina’s indictment was. Perhaps a couple months from now, Gotovina will also be acquitted for lack of evidence, so the Inquisition could get back to its appointed task of blaming everything in the Balkans on the Serbs.

The news cycle moves ever so quickly, as new scandals overtake those from yesterday. Late in November, Washington and London responded with indignation when British tabloids alleged the intent of George II and Tony the True to bomb Al-Jazeera for daring to oppose the Empire. After a week or so, the scandal blew over – after a fashion – to be replaced by the hubbub over Imperial torture camps in Europe and elsewhere. Only a few, like Robert Fisk, mentioned that bombing Al-Jazeera would have had a precedent in the Balkans. After all, most Imperial actions these days do. Continue reading “Killing Journalists”