<nettime> ivogram: burning, burning, reburning

["Ivo Skoric" <ivo@reporters.net>]

     [ digested @ nettime -- mod (tb) ]

"Ivo Skoric" <ivo@reporters.net>
     burning
     burning
     Re: burning

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From: "Ivo Skoric" <ivo@reporters.net>
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 22:20:40 -0500
Subject: burning

With explosions in Madrid dominating the world media, violence 
returned to the Balkans, with ferocity and vengeance that stunned 
international community, who most likely thought that we have calmed 
down already.

Many say that new Spanish prime minister's decision to withdraw 
Spanish troops from Iraq is somehow triggered by explosions. He, 
however, was opposed to sending troops to Iraq from the beginning. It 
is interesting that he won - opposed to war - particularly AFTER the 
bombing. Would majority of citizens in the US react the same way?

The Economist staffers would probably not. They believed Aznar would 
win solely on war rethoric. They were completely wrong.

Macedonian president - the one who wanted peace, disliked both by 
Albanian and by Serbian politicians - died in the plane crash on his 
way to deliver Macedonian application for the EU membership.

Bosnian police started the search a day later - until they agreed 
whose responsibility would it be to do so.

Then suddenly the riots in Kosovo errupted, as it is 1990's all over 
again. Fore years now international community keeps Kosovo citizens 
in limbo by not deciding on its final status. In that athmossphere of 
insecurity isolated incidents can create exaggerated reaction.

With all the KFOR soldiers available, the orthodox church in Obilic 
was burned to the ground. In the "eye for an eye" tradition the last 
remaining two mosques in Serbia were burned to the ground (one in 
Nis, another in Belgrade). Now it is the Kosovar's turn again.

ivo---------------------------------------------------------
Ivo Skoric
19 Baxter Street
Rutland VT 05701
802.775.7257
ivo@balkansnet.org
balkansnet.org

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From: "Ivo Skoric" <ivo@reporters.net>
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 20:56:29 -0500
Subject: burning

from: 
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/19/international/europe/19KOSO.html?th

"By nightfall, dozens of riot police had gathered in the center of 
the city [Prishtina] to protect the main United Nations buildings 
from possible attack. The crowds chose not to take them on and moved 
on to attack the last remaining Serbian Orthodox church in the city. 
By 11 p.m., two buildings next to church, a priest's house and the 
offices of a foreign charity were on fire. Police and soldiers 
attempted to disperse the crowds with tear gas, but their action came 
too late to save the buildings from destruction."

Now that they both burned all the religious objects of the other side 
on their territories, what's left to do?

It is also, spreading to Bosnia:
"SERB CHURCH TORCHED IN BOSNIA
2004-03-19 05:02 (New York)

Bugojno/Sarajevo (dpa) - A Serb church went up in flames in Bosnia 
Thursday night, in what appeared to be a response to the burning of 
two mosques in Serbia earlier in the week. 
The church in Bugojno, a town with a mixed Moslem and Croat 
population 60 kilometres west of Sarajevo, was damaged before 
firefighters managed to put the blaze out, local media reported, 
quoting police. 
Following an eruption of ethnic violence in Kosovo Wednesday and 
subsequent attacks on mosques and embassies in Serbia, Bosnian 
authorities stepped up security around religious buildings and 
diplomatic missions. "

ivo

---------------------------------------------------------
Ivo Skoric
19 Baxter Street
Rutland VT 05701
802.775.7257
ivo@balkansnet.org
balkansnet.org

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From: "Ivo Skoric" <ivo@reporters.net>
Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 23:40:06 -0500
Subject: Re: burning

Let's just consider what really happened there. After about five or 
more years of relative truce, or, rather an internationally policed 
cease-fire, suddenly, in a less than a week, as a reaction to a, for 
the region, relatively minor provocation, with an unholly velocity, 
half a dozen religious objects got burned and demolished in three (3) 
separately ruled statelets that emerged from what used to be 
Yugoslavia. The most stunning element in this event is the chain 
recation, the speed at which it spread through the region. It is as 
if everywhere in the region there still are people that just don't do 
any better but to hate the others and to act violently upon their 
hate. Just waiting for the signal to gather up and do something bad. 
It is also evidence of procrastination on the side of the 
international community first to effectively de-militarize the 
region, and second to address the issues that stood at roots of 
nationalism, chauvinism, hate, and "ethnic cleansing." International 
community left too many questions unanswered, failed to collect guns 
from warring factions, and never initiated reconciliation efforts 
and/or introduced non-violent conflict resolution methods. While this 
would explain the probability of such an event happening, it would 
still be hard to believe that it happened in 3 states in a row 
spontaneously.
ivo

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