Plight of Bosnia and Croatia

CORRESPONDENCE

Abbott failed to say is that this is too little, too late. She also failed to say that Plight of Bosnia and Croatia the Serbian scientific community is not SIR - These are great times for the from the former Yugoslavia cited in the as innocent as she suggests. There was revival and advancement of the theory of Institute for Scientific Information Sci­ no mention at all of the role of the symmetry of culpability. I refer, of ence Citation Index (SCI), and issued the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts course, to the war in Croatia and Bos­ only two Yugoslav scientific journals and of its Memorandum (1986) in laying nia, and your leading article (Nature 358, recognized by SCI (1985): Croatica Che­ the ideological framework for the forma­ 439; 1992), and the News story by Alison mica Acta and Periodicum Biologorum. tion of Greater Serbia and the atrocities Abbott (358, 360; 1992). Here are some The cut-off of US sponsored cooperative that have followed. facts which would greatly improve the projects and those with the European The international scientific community foundations of this theory and, accor­ Communities (EC) is symmetrical again. used to be very vocal against the sup­ dingly, the chances for peace in Europe. Croatia has not been admitted to the pression of human rights in Eastern Serbs, 12 per cent of the population of EC's PHARE programme. Europe, but now seems to be untouched the Republic of Croatia, have occupied The theory of symmetry of culpability by the plight of the Bosnian people, 25 per cent of its total territory, and should also take into account the case of human rights abuses and genocide. How effectively 'cleansed' it of Croatians, the Interuniversity Centre for Postgradu­ many other nations will be put into the Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks and Ukrai­ ate Studies in Dubrovnik, a cooperative Serbian cleansing machine before the nians. Serbs, 34 per cent of the popula­ venture of 250 universities worldwide world's scientific community reacts? tion of Bosnia and Herzegovina have and year-round courses. As its director, Sead Doric · occupied 60 per cent of the total terri­ Professor Kathleen Wilkes of the Uni­ lnstitut National d'Optique, tory of that state, and are effectively versity of Oxford, witnessed, its building 369 Rue Franquet, cleansing it of Croatians and Muslims. took a few well-aimed Serbian shells and Sainte-Fay, Quebec, Canada G1P 4NB The problem is not agricultural 'land burned down along with its specialized grabbing' (agriculture has never been library of 25,000 volumes. SIR - When black pictures of history a favourite subject for communists), For those unfamiliar with the theory are once again emerging in Bosnia and but the Serbian quest for control of of symmetry of culpability, it was origin­ Herzegovina, where more than 100 de­ communication lines and corridors. The ated by Neville Chamberlain and pub­ tention or death camps for Croats and loss of these would render both lished in Munich in 1938. Muslims have been established by Ser­ states, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, Velimir Pravdic bians, I would have expected Serbian a joke in terms of contemporary Ruder Boskovic Institute, scientists to be concerned about their non-agricultural economy. PO Box 1016, Bijenicka 54, colleagues and collaborators in Bosnia These remarkable Serbian achieve­ 41001 Zagreb, Croatia and Herzegovina. But the major worry ments are a product of other initial and of Serbians seems to be about shortage consequential symmetries: Fighter­ SIR - To write about difficulties of of funding, chemicals and about a com­ bombers: Serbs 600, Croats none; Serbian science and researchers and at puter that has been paid for and cannot Tanks: Serbs 1 ,800, Croats none; Heavy the same time not even mention the be imported to Serbia. artillery: Serbs 2,000, Croats none; situation of science in Bosnia, where Which is the guilty party? The United Ordnance: Serbs huge stockpiles of the dozens of university buildings, research Nations (UN) for striking back with former Yugoslav Army and supplies institutions and libraries have been set sanctions that will affect not only Ser­ through Rumania; Croats negligible in­ ablaze or demolished by Serbian mortar bian researchers but also the authorita­ itially, now carefully dosed life-line sup­ fire, is, to say the least, hypocritical. How rian communist government of Serbia, plies breaking the UN embargo through those burnt and demolished building or the latter for eliciting such a response Slovenia and Hungary; Major damaged compare with a $65,000 computer? How from the rest of the world? cities: Serbia none; Croatia 10 (with a do burnt libraries compare with the In­ Every scientist in Serbia should under­ total population in excess of 400,000; stitute of Physics receiving only 40 of its stand that silence is sometimes the same Bosnia 8 (population in excess of 180 subscriptions? Do you remember the as a lie or crime especially when it is 600,000); Ravaged cities: Serbia none; scenes shown on television when a crowd expressed in such a selfish manner. "As Croatia 2 (Vukovar and Petrinja). of Sarajevans lining up for bread was hit scientists we can only protest we cannot Casualties are mounting, but for each by a Serbian shell? Do you remember take up guns and kill people" said Dra­ dead Serb there are 5 dead Croatians the man lying in the puddle of blood, gan Vuckovic, a Serbian scientist. What and 20 dead Muslims (most of them crying for help and stretching his hands does he think about Bosnian scientists, civilians, women and children). toward the camera? That was Professor Croats, Muslims and loyal Serbs? Are The symmetry in the domain of sci­ Mahmud Dikic, with whom I worked at they running their experiments? No, ence should also be mentioned. Croatian the Mechanical Engineering Department they are not, they are fighting for their scientists share the Serbian fear that of the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia own lives and the lives of their children "prolonged sanctions will destroy" scien­ and Herzegovina. In that attack he lost or starving to death in the detention ce. Croatia, with 20 per cent of the total his legs. How does that compare with camps. No change is conceivable until population of the former Yugoslavia BITNET electronic mail lines being human rights are acknowledged in Bos­ contained some 18 per cent of registered disconnected? nia and Herzegovina, and until they are scientists (Croatia did not need this war I assume that your aim was to inform willing to help their colleagues to stop to apply evaluation by peer review, as us about the protests that the Serbian the bloodshed. Glisin hopes for Serbia, 358, 361; 1992). scientific community is trying to articu­ The UN must exert a stronger em­ Croatia was forced to contribute 28 per late against their government. The pro­ bargo on Serbia, in the hope that in the cent of the total Yugoslav federal budget test could be summarized by saying that, near future science would be restarted in and 40 per cent of foreign hard currency after the international community im­ a fair and democratic environment. earnings (1986). Croatian scientists re­ posed sanctions, 70,000 students occu­ Ivan Dikic ceived about 10 per cent of federal funds pied the university's main building for 26 NYU Medical Center, (1987) for research and development, days and that all examinations were 550 First Avenue, yet produced up to 40 per cent of papers suspended until late August. What New York, New York 10016, USA NATURE · VOL 359 · 15 OCTOBER 1992 571 © 1992 Nature Publishing Group