Stories about Serbia from February, 2008
Serbia, Kosovo, U.S.: Diaspora Serbs
Reluctant Dragon and Gray Falcon offer two different perspectives on what it feels like being a Serb in the United States following Kosovo's declaration of independence.
Serbia, Kosovo: Lack of Trust
Balkan Anarchist writes at length about “the utter lack of inter-ethnic dialogue between Serbs and Albanians” in Kosovo.
Serbia: Window For Slovenian Embassy
East Ethnia reposts a photo of a new window presented to the Slovenian embassy by “the students of Belgrade.”
Serbia: “Ray of Light in Tough Times”
Belgrade 2.0 posts a selection of photoshopped Kosovo-related parodies and writes: “If there’s one thing I always appreciated about Serbia and it’s turbulent times, it’s the people’s strenght to find something humorous in all that, no matter how bad the times are. It was like that during the sanctions, during...
Serbia: Where is Facebook's Belgrade?
According to Belgrade 2.0, Serbia's capital has mysteriously disappeared from Facebook: “Anyway, there are couple of groups now fighting to get Serbian cities back on the list of hometowns, since about 70 thousand Serbs that are already on Facebook just lost that option. Unfortunately, the protesters are not being very...
Serbia: Ambassadorial Discontent
While some of the foreign embassies were being set on fire in Belgrade in protest to the unilateral proclamation of independence of Kosovo, Serbian embassies in Belgium and Russia were having diplomatic activities of a different kind - and Serbian bloggers took interest in them. Sinisa Boljanovic translates.
Kosovo: Implications for Other States
Pestcentric believes that “Kosovar independence has really opened a can of worms, the full extent of which has yet to manifest itself.”
Serbia: Charges Against Two Looters
East Ethnia reports on the charges against two young Serbian women “whose little looting adventure made them internet celebrities for one brief, greasy moment”: “And we know that they are about to be charged with theft, a crime which carries a sentence of between one and eight years. This will...
Kosovo, Serbia: A Roundup
Update on Kosovo/Serbia: Belgrade 2.0 sums things up; East Ethnia discusses the possibility of partition; Csíkszereda Musings writes on the meaning of Kosovo for Romania's Székelyföld autonomy; Greater Surbiton re-posts his article on what's “at stake in the struggle for Serbia”; Steady State writes on the implications of Kosovo for...
Serbia: Anglophone Bloggers on Belgrade Rally, Riots, Kosovo
Below is a selection of the English-language posts about last week's events in Serbia and Kosovo, which appeared on Feb. 21-23.
Serbia: Bloggers Discuss Rally and Rioting in Belgrade
Yesterday, Kosovo is Serbia rally was held in Belgrade. According to unofficial sources, 150,000-200,000 people attended it to protest against unilateral proclamation of independence of Kosovo. The rally went peacefully but was followed by rioting. Buildings of the American, Croatian and Turkish embassies were set on fire. Many people were injured, at least one person was killed. Sinisa Boljanovic translates reactions by several Serbian bloggers who blog at B92's blog portal.
Israel: Palestine and Kosovo
One Jerusalem from Israel, discusses Kosovo's independence from Serbia in this post, as well as its implications on Palestine.
Lebanon: US Embassy in Serbia on Fire
From Lebanon, Sophia keeps us up-to-date with the attack on the US Embassy in Serbia in this post.
Middle East: Wishing Kosovo all the Best!
Bloggers and some politicians in the Middle East were quick to draw parallels between Kosovo's independence from Serbia and the Palestine Question. Following the news from the Balkans, here's a snapshot of more reactions from Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Serbia: Political Unrest, Now and 17 Years Ago
Anegdote watched the rioting in Belgrade from his balcony and wrote about how history seems to be repeating itself: “Many people were injured in Belgrade today, and one person died. But that feels like nothing compared to knowing that lunatics are once again politicians and that people are capable of...
Serbia: “People's Protests”
Hugh Griffiths writes on his B92 blog about the history of the “so-called ‘people’s protests'” in Serbia – “which are in actual fact not organised by the people themselves, but by those working in state institutions.”
Serbia: Belgrade Riots
Limbic Nutrition on the situation in Belgrade: “The violence tonight was fully expected. Western embassies were texting and emailing their citizens all week warning us to stay away from the demonstrations. Since Monday, the day after rioters attacked the US and Slovenian embassies in response to Kosovo’s declaration of independence,...
Serbia: Twitter Updates from Belgrade
Mini-updates on Twitter from Belgrade 2.0 blogger Viktor Marković are here.
Europe, Canda, U.S.: Serbian Protests
Byzantine Sacred Art Blog invites Diaspora Serbs to protests “against illegal amputation of Kosovo” that are planned to be held in North America and Western Europe this coming weekend.
Kosovo: “Western Protectorate” Tradition
“Kosova’s status as a Western protectorate, replete with a banal, EU-style flag, is therefore entirely in keeping with the tradition of earlier Balkan states that successfully achieved their independence under Great Power guidance,” writes Greater Surbiton.
Kosovo: Implications and Consequences
“Kosovo’s declaration of independence has meant that a state of uncertainty has returned to the region,” writes Balkan Baby.
