• • • '•: '·;ti IJ~ .;: ,·· STÀTÉMENT OF'SONJA BISERKO. 1~ l'pftQ..dUtJtiOU. t.. 1 h~ve.-,bëèri. ~Md Q:Ythe 'Croafîan;Jegal'l~am t~ provide fJ. stat~ment which will be~ t:ight 'on·. tlie .Sërbiat.t. natioq~d pr~gram :whic.h· was the· màin trigger. for the war in the ror.mer Yqg~$l~via. , 9 ..,.. "\'"~ a·nc,~ P.resld,~nt of the Helsinlci Committee for Human Rights in 2. D~fining the Problèm in Ristork-al P.ers.pective 3. 'Dèvel.opment of Serl:i ·people and .th~ir ·state during the past two centuries hàs. been murk~d ~Y a 1/l.~i.mtl'ict hetween palfriai:chy and modernity which has s1o.wed and mad~ the cultu.ràl inte&rQtlan :of Ser~s ~d·creation of a "cÇ>mplete statet' more difficult. 1 The clash be.tweeo pattiaréhy tn1d med.ernity m.iltked. t:he ~nd o.f the 40lh century, taregeJy becausb e:mat:~cip.att~.r\ ·wa~ ahv~ys. p,é.tcëjved àS à loss of identity. the f.oregoing; .r.~ulted in a: rëvtv.a:l of a. "gre.ater Sertii~'; çpnc!:!pt Wfiich drew its strengtli from the patrîarcbaJ~. êalie~tiv.fst'l.'no:clèJ .af stat~ and sQeiety nod ethniç-religious understand.ing. ef nation. Tliat- t;0n'c~P.t d:reW- ~ditlprial strëJ]gth from thé reliance on tradition o-f. the me'dleval Serh ·emph:~. 4·, In tke· j~dgemént of Ser.b nationalists, the ·historhml climax presented the greater~ Ser.bian ~tate iqea.and· its.ndv9cà~~s:with a singula.r opportunity to cnpita.Jize on th~ brea~:­ up ê·(Y.ü$Qslavia aod red~:aw th~ bot~ders according to a national programme near[y two e~n,UJ,l'Ïës: old~. Thé Sera elite based its àï'IJbitions o~ severa! very impli'rtant· premises: the 1 tl1nr t!!nn· was coined by· Zor~l) bjirijdjic. ·amblemntic· of th!tt ideu is his b1Udy "Yugosla.vitt ns nn Unfîn'l!lhc<rStatel" nnd.Ne~ad Ï)Jinittîjevi~'s·.èssey "Serbln as an Untinishcd Statc." 2 A ~~W ~cr.bia st~~J:. n:iJ~oY.çd lo. satnhwest, wlille. 'lt~lwing. a p<trt of ~ô~ovo l:iehlnd; mâ~e~.. tlie.s~m· ançl ~t,Jbstpt;l~è qtihp SO\oQ!lllcXl.Jiiitionitl·pfilgratn. 'TJïe foUowliJg·.qlli.Jte prbbaply b.est Hlt.jstrate!l th~ idan. "This· ls th~~~~~·~~t~rtltofhit~t.bni.c'ar.r.esliûfllê of the entire Balkan region, !Ile tiinc of for.ced adjus.tment we shall llav~ '(q.accaP,t: as n fu<it of'Ufe .. Epoahal ciltJI.nf.:rëS IJI*-e ·it nece$1lney fur the Ser-bian people w çonwe.gaté in tllé:tenitocy.itèaït.livè, tt can. êpVèr·~y ils ciyUI~ti~n ttnd wherefi·om il will be e11emy to no one, Ev.en this. dishstet·b~il'tg$ ·wnh sè:ltnê~ing. usëful- èi.bnicill iljipea)!cntt~:nt çfthe regit;m. Th~ Sètbian people unifies and. ·lfoniqg~nb::e.Sdt· tbllnd~·tl~·i'ts·mr:ing·fïpf!.® tha(gcts etf!nic. borders. A çhange as suçh<implîGs.estnblisment: ef.n.itëW nntitsn smtë. m. tb~ t~rrltory o1~ly a.ggr~sor:s may cali înto <Juestlo11, ln other words, we are forç~:d to ~j:ça.tê··q .state ~Uit~d t!!i us and· to· aur I?QWer." (,bobricn Cosic, "Chaslng the·Wind; ") 1.: •': :· ,If!~ ' .1 intel.'natimial env.immnent or vacuum which em·er.ged 'lS: a: r~.$.U:It .uf d~!} Q~I,I~p.~~ o'f comilluni.sm, Serbian supretnaéy o.\1e'r the Yùgo&lav Peapieis Arti1y", th;e Kos.pvo.,nl)'tll·f wi1Jeh mobili:z~d Serbs, and perçeptions of R,ussia. as Serl;iia's Jiatüràl a!Jy,. 5; The ·serb national programme was not unique in the.Bâlkans. Balkan nat(QtJii .thj:~.t..J:t.aYfl. live'd on the periphery of two lnrg{;ï et'npires for centttri&s '~ère :àlso:t1atir.ishin$J···iui.1ional aspirations :-and. llad nation stàtes' as th~ ir goals. The tainet~e11tl1··.~ridA:he··~~gUt~ù.t~g ofitljé twenti~t_h oenturi:és saw the ir. w~n'lM)f Iiberati.on ..àild til~ir ëffottid~ buïNLmo.de.rrtst~tes P.f tlie'ir own. The creatioM af Yugoslnvia in 1918 laid· ~he 'faunciatfon. f(it' thè rèaltzatihn· t)f. the' .Set·b· national prograhl. aut. at the "S!l01~ tin1è.. the i11.WV Yu.gQ,l;lav. .stiï,të.·ëm~~çlied· abJ:eetively dispàrate national interests and éonimdn so.utldNav ~J?ii:atîon~. ij:v.en.:a:;~· ·~hç· O.ew state· was b~ing. built. 1he proponetUS of UIÛtattiariÏsm ·artd ·j~detalism <llashed. I'heir eonflict ihevitably raîsed questions about the $~1rvïvàli 9f,tlî~ Yug~$làv state. T:li,:i Sèrbs1. who w.anted to become the leac:ling nation in YugQslavia and: the Bal~Jl'~t' had .~lw.~y~ been ~trang. They be.Iieved tl:tat they ough~ to be· giVën a: v.anguarU rote. in the B.~lkan Bntente! the collective defence agreement designed. to di.scq~rage .tite con's~~1t ·ter.tito.d.ni claims 'Of\laric:ius European ·countries. 6; The adeption of the 1'974 Yl.!goslavian Con.st.itutlon \:\las nr~9J~~ed tlf éxfètis·jVêJ;îtJl>Üc de~ate throùgltO.~I~ ~hê coLlntry. At the time,. tlu:ire:wasdi,h:e·;;~(!r· di~a~(~ta~ti.en:' h1 $Çr~.i~ with the direction ln which the changes ·we'r.e di;lftih:g· S'e't.b'ia'n elites lookë~;' iîp.on the ·confedetadon ofYugosl~JVÏll as a plot to cqmp,letely brÇ~k.... iip .the Set'Qp~~p!e:âtid'àJigued. _ _______________ Serllia1s beu.11daries at the time were 'neither untiona!' n·or.hî$tprleal.1:>0J:çl~l's1 :l:)nd:th~t, -~~==-~=~=-=-==~rol"~tl1at-lnati~~=tl16-'Güt1nl:laries--&_~ween ~~=i~~ii~r~~=-~~<fi~~~ailii~i~i=ffitW.~~Nt-tù·~f.iii~ri::.:·:::_ .. :.•.=·~· :_::::=.==- --------····- ---------·--------,-----~----~--~ ---·~-------·-- poU.tical' 1. Th~ Serbs' largely traumatic and frustraLing ex.petient;;ë With the 1914· CanstlttJUon exerted considerable influence on their late.r behav.iol:lr d1,1rit1g the disi.otegeation of 3'Thc.Bnttlll< of Kosovo topk. P. Ince in 1j 8'), nod mar~ed the lie-ghmiog of,thp ;i.·ceo~"'ry:QUemari ..sqprèinacy. Hàwë\icr;.Scrbs hav.e bëen gloryfing this hÇavy:·detènt ever.~inçe; Tlu:;.defui\t h~$ ~eêiùirilieifinto: marty.rijon:~t while Kosovo itself proclaimed "thç saut Qflbe Serbian·.n~t~on.:'i ;Ac~~rdîQgf~; iv.ithoüi:l{ôsov.o, $.èrbs will be wiP.cd o~t as .amith:m. This is wh y "ihe· Kosovo rilytii" i'inplic:S contin'uity .wfth ·tlie·.iiïëdicv.al Serbiiin !ll'nte. · 2 '.1 ,,, • ·,r,.·'·ifr·· ''!';'i1llir"'\~~1''1firJiill!~i!)k: , ... : Yugoslav1a. Mbst Serbs · bëlièVë 'tliat the Constiluti<im desti'Oy.ed the unit~ 9f Serbia, Qrougllt abÇJJJt'~,e~;~,res qfpr~fi;Iem.S for it a,nd (ed to the breâk-up ofYugosla.via, Most Setbs ar.e. deeply· convinc~d ·thW; the QOfl$tltutiQu~l tt•ansformation of' the r~publics into statës rêndeted a s~tisfaêtoey salution to the Serb national question even more remote. Having .dècia~d that tl)e {974 Conâtituti~n:l;riatked the besinalng efthe end of'YugQs1a..v1a as they. saw it:(te~ as an e~tènd~d S~rbi'à..), S~rbian community and opinion leaders set about --l-----·revivilig:.tlïe-;K;oso'Vo:m~th. Tltifnn~tks~rvedi;o-ra:lly-and-œhere-Serbs-politically;:-j,ùst·as·------·~-­ it did ~t the b~ginn;iilg orthe. oineteï::hth eetitury. 3.. S.ef.bs Mobilizc.d· Over thé National Program:me 8. 't'he AI.PatlÎan. d~!Donstra:tions·in K9~ovo tn 1981 were used as a prete.."'t for raising the Sërb· natidnal ·que~Uon .and' fom~I1tlng ·serb nationalist sentiments. The YPA pushed it's Wl:lY oi1to the po'litie"al. stage ·and. v.irtuatly oëcupied Kosovo .. 1 ___,_.:.:..9.:...~ fr,;;;_;. h=· ·e-'sttu=· ·=·· -fit~l~·far· Jeslp· BrQ~ 1!ito"s inberi~nc~ in 1980 ~tarte.d amid ~ à~p ctiish';~ ~ for whié.l1 the polîiïctd ·antl il'itêlleè.ttnd ente. and establishments had ·no answet,s, The Gotantry'''s g~n~r{ll. un.prep~f.~dness for change was lnrge.Jy exacerbatèd by Yt!goslavia's s~1l gene'fis position ·during the pr~cedittg·. fifty. yea1:s, â position based on its: ge·ouslrategic tocatîon·and tbflb:lp,biar division· ofthe world during the Soviet Union-United States Cold War. Tljj~ ;position. g~:Ve Yugoslavia special treatmellt and a !3pecial role on the ·int~n.àtion~1' pplj~jeal stag~ that was far greatèr than its reàl iinportance. The Serbs, who-se unwii.Brt~n~ss:t.o ~;td4.re,ss the. o.p.~n· l~:S.._e$ at.1d their resi?tance to chan,ge resulted h1 nàUoiilil l).pma,gëi:ii'zatioit:. any àttempt to refasltion YtlgÇJslavia undt:;r new ciroutrïstanè~s was perceived· aS~ soh~me to deprlve them of a state of their own. Serbs' ethnie identity, the· tiie11· l~adership. bas utjliz~d \.llld~r ~1e slogan . •FirstJy, the sta~e - secondly, demoèraCiy' ' bioiike'êÎ :ël~mù'ei'àtîZâtion and prevented tlle necessary plur::Hi?..ation 'of ·inl:erests. 'th:e $er-b elite, leéJ .!?.Y' Slébbdart· MiTosèviè, rèverted 'to its natiot:rar programme; . ... ' 4'V.qgoslnViiiil1stn'tesriîon w:ho l.cd·rh~r~t.~nilèc·lo·Nilti uc~;ùptlti(m d11rlng Woi'ld Wat IT, esl!tbllshcd·lnd~pçnd~ce t'roln'\1\'e.