Stories about Serbia from August, 2008
Blogger of the Week: Siniša Boljanović
Siniša Boljanović had never blogged when he volunteered to report on Serbian blogs for Global Voices in 2007. He read an article about Global Voices in a Serbian online magazine and was so hooked on the idea of contributing, he taught himself to write in English and use Wordpress for the first time in spite of one additional obstacle: Siniša is blind.
Russia, Georgia: The Balkan Context
LimbicNutrition Weblog writes about the Russian-Georgian conflict in the context of the earlier events in the Balkans.
Georgia, Russia, Serbia: The Use (or Abuse) of Some Historical Facts?
Serbian bloggers follow closely the situation in the Caucasus region. Many of them compared and analyzed the Kosovo issue and the newest opportunities in South Ossetia. Some of them were careful to express their own thoughts and mainly cited thoughts of politicians. Here is a post by a Serbian blogger who quoted in his blog some pieces of the last statements by Russia's government officials, who linked military operations in Georgia to certain historical events.
Serbia: Belgrade's New Mayor; Monopoly
East Ethnia reports that Belgrade has got a new mayor – and is now featured in the international version of Monopoly.
Russia, Georgia: Unilateral Recognition of Abkhazia's and South Ossetia's Independence
Russia has formally recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia today. Below are some of the initial reactions from LiveJournal's Cyrillic sector.
Serbia: Belgraders Greet Milorad Cavic
Byzantine Blog reports that “more than 50,000 Belgraders gathered on Tuesday, August 19, in front of the City Parliament building, to greet Serbian swimming champion, the Olympic medalist and record-breaker Milorad Cavic.”
The Balkans: Judge Alphonse Orie
East Ethnia explains why, according to “several lawyers,” “ICTY judge Alphonse Orie should not preside over the trial of Radovan Karadžić.”
Remembering a Childhood in Serbia
Daniel Durini, a Mexican-Serbian blogger, recalls his childhood (second part here) in Belgrade during the late 1970's and the 1980's in his blog Eslavos del Sur [Spanish]
Serbia: Milorad Čavić's Silver Medal
Swimmer Milorad Čavić celebrated in his blog the silver medal in 100 metres butterfly that he won on the 14th, coming in second to Michael Phelps by 1/100 of a second in the final which prompted a request for review by the Serbian Swimming Federation.
Serbia: Solidarity for South Ossetia
Eric Gordy of East Ethnia has translated a “special message of brotherhood” for Serbia from the President of South Ossetia, published in the Serbian newspaper Glas gadosti. Byzantine Blog reports that on Tuesday protesters against Radovan Karadžić's arrest went in front of the Russian Embassy in Serbia to congratulate the...
Georgia: The Dangers of Saakashvili's Idealism
Mark McKinnon discusses the dangers of Georgian president's, Mikheil Saakashvili, idealism in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
South Ossetia: Did Kosovo set a precedent?
When Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February this year, many feared that it would set a precedent for other secessionist regions in the world, particularly in the Caucasus. Sinisa Boljanovic analyzes what bloggers said then and what they are saying now that those fears have become a reality.
Georgia: Similarities with 1995 Croatia
Gray Falcon compares the current situation of South Ossetians in Georgia with that of Serbs in Croatia in 1995.
Balkans: No Progress for Minorities in EU-Integration
Romano Them discusses why the countries of Southeast Europe make little or no progress in improving the lives of marginalised minorities – at least judging European Union reports.
Balkans: “The banality of journalistic evil”
Gray Falcon writes a detailed critique of a recent article by Dan Bilefsky published in the New York Times titled “Hero to Some, Butcher to Others”, about fugitive Ratko Mladić. In it he complains about what he calls “the Good versus evil, black-and-white, typical coverage of Bosnia (and the Balkans...
Croatia: Anniversary of Operation Storm
On the 4th of August 1995 the largest European land offensive since World War II started in Central Croatia, in the area of Krajina. Until then Croatian Serbs were the majority population there, but a few days later there were no Serbian families left in this area. For that reason it was called Operation Storm (Operacija Oluja). Bloggers comment on the anniversary.
Serbia: Slatko Recipe
Sajkaca of the collective blog Balkan Crew shares the recipe for Slatko (Serbian for “sweet”), a Balkan specialty that is “a preserve in which fruits are kept whole in a thick and very sweet syrup.”
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Karadžić in The Hague
In spite of demonstrations in Belgrade against Radovan Karadžić's extradition to the ICTY in The Hague, he was transferred in the early hours of the 30th of July. The next day his first court appearance took place, where the charges against were read. Bloggers have been commenting on his transfer to The Hague and on the initial court hearing.
Serbia: CNN Mistakes Budapest for Belgrade
Balkan File writes that “CNN has mixed in footage of riots that took place in Budapest, Hungary, with that of the riots in Belgrade”: “Some comments on the web seem to hint that perhaps CNN were deliberately trying to make the protests seem more violent than they actually were –...
Kosovo, Macedonia: Islam
Michael J. Totten's reflections on Islam in Kosovo and Macedonia, travel photos and lots of readers’ comments – here and here.
The Balkans, U.S.: Holbrooke and Karadzic
Eric Gordy of East Ethnia explains why he believes that “that maybe Richard Holbrooke did make some promises to Radovan Karadžić.”
