BY KENTA SUGAWARA
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia conducted a presidential election on September 24,2000. The results were that Slobodan Milosevic finally lost the presidency. This fact proves how his politics lead to extreme ethnic nationalism and was profoundly different from common sense. Acording to the the media, this implies the arrival of peace and democracy in Yugoslavia since the ruler, staining the Balkan Peninsula with blood, receded from politics. Surely we should appropriately argue in the Untied Nations the actions of Milosevic, who fostered Serb ethnic nationalism and provoked ethnic armed confrontations. It is, however, necessary to make clear how a sequence of Yugoslav disputes arose and intensified into an international problem. It is impossible to deny that we should look into the responsibility of the international community which prolonged these disputes. If we don't consider these facts clearly, the situation in the Middle East, including Israel and Palestine, may become a tragedy like Basnia and Kosovo. Therefore, we must consider the international community and ethnic nationalism according to the historic trends in Yugoslavia.
The economic crunch that developed in Yugoslavia in the eighties and the breakdown of the structure of the Cold War are the basic causes of the Yugoslav disputes. Power holders in Croatia, Slovenia, Albania, and among the Muslims and Serbs used difficult problems including the economic crunch to uplift ethnic nationalism. Additionally, it was no longer necessary for Yugoslavia to be a mosaic nation after the socialist structure weakened and the influence of the Soviet Union declined. Therefore, The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the nation of "fellowship and unity" which Tito founded, decayed in January of 1900.
The Yugoslav situation was in a muddled state for more than ten years. We should take note of the misguided international efforts to steer the Bosnian civil war. In 1991, the German government implemented an early independence policy for Croatia for own its economic and political motives. The German government helped the early independence of Croatia by pressuring powerful signatories of the European Community. It goes without saying that this policy made the war between Serbia and Croatia develop and intensify. In 1991, the EC and the US comepelled Bosnia and Herzegovina to achieve independence according to the concept that they could avert this war by gaining their independence.
As a result of these situations, the fires of war leaped across Bosnia and each ethnic group, Serbs, Croats and Muslims began ethnic cleansing including compulsory prison camps, genocide and rape. Milosevic did the same. Looking at the above facts, the initiative of national powers sometimes can cause such a result. Therefore, it is important that the United Nations lead the world through consensus.
I don't support any group in the disputes in Yugoslavia. The direct parties concerned who caused the dispute and were in an accountable position are responsible for creating Serb, Croat, Slovenian and Muslim powers. They reveal their avarice, intolerance and tyranny. However, the political and economic motives of Western countries prolonged the dispute. If the ideology of powers continue to brainwash the world, they could cause a dispute to rouse the ethnic pride of Serbs again.
In 1998, Kosovo's situiation was a conflict between the Serb and Albanian ideology of ethnic nationalism. As previously stated, Milosevic's actions were so extreme that the situation called for intervention by NATO.
Therefore, Vojislav Kostunica, who was elected to replace Milosevic, must establish an independent state which is not controled or interfered with from outside powers. He is an ethnic nationalist the same as Milosevic, and he must try not to make the same mistakes. He has to concede or compromise his ethnic nationalism. He should lead Yugoslavia to peace as those who elected him desire. The international community must continue to give Yugoslav assistance. Those of us in this generation must continue to keep an eye on the situation in Yugoslavia.