Since the two world wars last century, the Balkans have maintained a reputation as the “”powder keg of Europe,”” a reputation that is perpetuated into the 21st century.
Although it seems like things are finally beginning to simmer down with the arrest of Slobodan Milosevic and his cronies, it is the start of much more controversy.
Last October, there rang a certain hope in the air for those in Serbia. The supposedly unsinkable Milosevic had been arrested. Never in the last 50 years have people compared anyone to Adolf Hitler as much as they do Milosevic. Although the man, whom many believe single-handedly destroyed Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia, has been arrested, it is currently uncertain whether he will actually be charged for his crimes against humanity.
Reconstruction has already started. Last year on April 26, Yugoslav president Vojislav Kostunica announced that initiatives were already being launched to foster understanding between Serbian and Montenegrin authorities. Election plans are already underway.
Serbia, however, is still far from peace and healing. The future holds a tedious reconstructive process that most observers believe will be a great task for not only Serbia, but for all of the Balkan states and Europe. Tribal and political conflicts are still potential hindrances, and although the Balkans are more democratic now than they have ever been, it will take more than just the departure of Milosevic to erase the effects of the Communist dictatorship that they have all known.
Today, armed Albanians in southern Kosovo still take refuge in NATO’s buffer zone while killing Serb policemen. On the other side, in Macedonia, there is still fighting over the multi-ethnic state. Killings have not slowed quite yet, as eight soldiers were shot in Macedonia two Saturdays ago. These killings are considered the highest death toll in a single attack since last February.
The never-unified Bosnian Croats and Serbs do have one thing in common: the American-engineered federation. The United States is arranging to make agreements with Yugoslavia and the United Nations to renew the lease on the 9,000-acre American base in Kosovo for 75 years more. Many criticize the United States for their arbitrary and brutal methods of peace keeping. Some say this “”forced protection”” will soon breed violence among the Balkan states.
Then, of course, the question of statehood comes to play. Will the Yugoslav federation continue to exist as one entity? Montenegro and Serbia are likely additions, as is Kosovo. Additionally, the Serbian Mafia threatens Serbian officials who are handling Milosevic’s charges. The future of these states will, indeed, prove a larger catastrophe than Milosevic himself if matters are not handled correctly.
Many questions will be raised, and the extraction of Milosevic will not really provide a solution to the Balkans’ problems. While it is certain that his arrest has lifted some of the burden, it has not lifted all of it. Thousands of supporters are still demanding that Milosevic be released, and violence continues to plague the region as you read this article.
While all we can do is sit and wait for events to unfold, it is certain that the people of the Balkans have yet to come to a point of relief.
