Bieber Blog

2008-11-02T11:10:00.001+01:00

I have just set up a new website at the following address: http://fbieber.wordpress.com. It combines my website and the blog, so in the future, all blog entries will be posted there.
Comments are welcome!

2008-10-07T17:32:00.002+02:00

Giraffes for Europe

According to Blic, one of the conditions for SPS and its partners to join government was that the Jagodina Zoo would receive some giraffes--as to advance the touristic potential of "Strawberry" aka Svetozarevo, with the goal that one day, it will be know in honor of its current mayor as Palmarevo.
If giraffes work well as EU integration incentives, I can see potential in a major import business (impex)for the entire region.

2008-07-15T10:50:00.004+02:00

From the "Fauna in Kosova" brochure of the Kosovo post...besides the fact that the pigeon and cow feature prominently among the fauna of Kosovo (I am all in favor of giving space to the less 'fancy' animals) there are some other gems here:

Duck: "Lives in Albanian lands, in Kosova and Albania." If we define Albanian lands by the habitat of ducks, count Canterbury in (and a few other places). Hhmm, by the way note that the stamp on the left pictures the famous swan-duck of Kosova.

Dog of Sharr: "a very old type of dog, extremely clean and faithful. Dog of Sharr is a native race of dogs in the Sharr region." Let's not forget the other side of the mountains in Macedonia, please.

The Cow: "Busha is a typical Kosovar cow and is one of the oldest races. This cow is very milkweed..." ok, enough of the my cow is an older race than yours game, but how can a cow be milkweed?

2008-07-12T10:40:00.002+02:00

It has a been a bad few weeks for Socialdemocracy in Europe. Not only did the Austrian Socialdemocrats follow the populist pressures of the NKZ to promise referenda on all future changes to the EU treaties and the accession of Turkey. The Socialist International decided to accept Milorad Dodik's Independent Social Democrats as full members. Besides his continued statements and policies which undermine Bosnia and Herzegovina, he has also succeeded in shutting down Tranparency International in Bosnia after a campaign of threats.
I guess accepting the Socialist Party of Serbia to the Socialist International is no longer such a stretch of the imaginiation...

2008-06-26T12:02:00.008+02:00

In breaking news: "Kod Laktaša otvorena fabrika kroasana", finally a croissant factory in Laktsi!

I guess now we have some good "Pain de Laktasi" or maybe "Croaissant a la Dodik". But beware, let's not forget that legend has it that croissants were first made to celebrate the defeat of the Ottomans in Vienna in 1683.

2008-06-24T20:47:00.002+02:00

For all those with little money on their account, don't despire. It is likely that the Federation of BiH has less. According to Avaz, the Federation has only 434 KM left. And with a Finance minister called Bevanda, I can just recommend to kick back, relax and spend the rest of the money for one or two Sarajevsko beers per day for the rest of the year, it might just be enough.

2008-06-19T10:26:00.002+02:00

Apparently the integration of crazy Serb nationalists in Vienna is not going as well as expected. Threatening posters should be at least proof-read by native German speakers before being put up.

2008-06-13T19:47:00.003+02:00

Pampers, Absorption Capacity and how much the EU (should) suck(s)

Now that Ireland voted against the Constitutional Treaty there is serious concern over the prospects for the EU's ability to integrate the Western Balkans. While in recent months the EU has been repeating that there are no obstacles to the EU integration for the countries in the region, there is a risk now that new conditions might be imposed on the countries that have little to do with countries' reforms and more with the reluctance of EU member states to push for enlargement.

After months of pampering the regions with promises of visa liberalization and the signing of the SAA with Serbia and Bosnia next week, except a lot more talk about absorption capacity and vague conditions, which will only further undermine the already rather weak position of the EU in the region.

2008-05-07T19:05:00.007+02:00

The Borders of the European Union
Zagreb, 1. June 2011

With big fireworks in Zagreb and along the Hungarian and Slovene border, Croatia welcomed the opening of the border to the European Union and Croatia joining the Schengen zone. While free travel to the EU was never a problem for citizens of Croatia, the abolition of border posts to Hungary and Slovenia marks a great improvement for border communities, especially those which saw the hardening of the border when Slovenia joined the Schengen area back in 2008. The president of the European Union, Jean-Claude Juncker, congratulated Croatia on this historical step.

A little east from Croatia, however, political development in recent years suggest the European Union has failed to bring stability. Ever since the illegal referendum on independence of Republika Srpska in late 2010 Bosnia has de facto ceased to exist. The referendum followed the defeat of prime minister Dodik in 2010 by the candidate of the Serb Radical Party, supported by Belgrade and the closure of the OHR in 2009. The predominantly Bosniak and Croat Federation claims to represent all of Bosnia and rejects the declaration of independence of the Serb Republic, which has to date only be recognized by Serbia and Russia.
While reforms have accelerated in the Federation, the Bosniak member of the Bosnian presidency has recently accused the Croat party of being willing to sacrifice the claim on the Serb Republic for quick entry into the EU. Some Bosniak parties have in fact altogether challenged the EU membership, suggesting that the EU wants to break up Bosnia. This statement comes after the EU insisting that only a unified Bosnia can join the European Union. Considering the strong rejection of EU membership at this point by the Serb Radical Party, in power in Belgrade and Banja Luka, such a perspective appears unrealistic.
While the electoral success of the Radical Party in Serbia itself back in 2008 did not lead to a fully fledged roll-back of reforms in Serbia, the country has been increasingly polarized and the economy has stagnated. Besides the agreement that Lada would begin building cars in Serbia's Zastava car factor, few large foreign investments have materialized.
The proposal by the EU to establish a new partnership agreement with Serbia recently was welcomed by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic, but rejected as long as the EU proposed agreement does not insist on either acknowledging Serbia's authority over Kosovo or the independence of the Serb Republic.
While Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia might join the EU by 2014, the prospects for Bosnia and Serbia, as well as Kosovo, appear bleak.

2008-05-07T18:58:00.002+02:00

2008-05-05T12:17:00.001+02:00

Spot the difference (except that Tito is dead and Brian is alive... and the obvious age difference):

2008-05-02T09:54:00.002+02:00

From the chronicles of historicals events: During the elections for the Serbian parliament in 1907 a group of citzens for Cacak organizes as part of the electoral campaign the Baptism of Roma on the city cattle market...

oops I meant 2008.

From B92: Grupa građana Za Čačak u okviru predizborne kampanje organizovala je krštenje Roma na prostoru gradske stočne pijace

2008-05-01T14:42:00.002+02:00

Vetevendosije! published in their recent newsletter this wonderful exercise in political correctness... maybe it's time for a regional international talk spell check (when typing FYROM, it automatically adds a footnote stating "Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name." replacing Bosnian with BHS...)

"UNMIK has sent a circular to its staff with the new terminology that they should use. The language to be used clearly indicates UNMIK’s position of hovering indecisively somewhere between Prishtina and Belgrade."

1) The Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) will now be called Kosova’s institutions or Kosova’s authorities but the use of the term ‘of the Republic of Kosova’ is prohibited.

2) Instead of the word ‘Serbia proper’, only the names of local towns will be used. If the term ‘Serbia’ is used, then a footnote must explain the views of both sides.

3) The term ‘Declaration of Independence’ must not be written with capital letters – because this would give it meaning.

4) The word ‘border’ (which is the standard term indicating an international state border) will still not be used to describe the northern border between Kosova and Serbia. Previously it was called an ‘Administrative boundary line.’ Now it will be called a ‘boundary line’ written in small case letters.

5) Even institutions previously called ‘UNMIK customs’ or UNMIK Railways will not be called Kosova customs, but just ‘customs’.

6) The ‘North’ of Kosova, will now be called ‘northern Kosovo’, and the ‘North’ of Mitrovica will now be called ‘northern Mitrovica’ - The first term is geographic. The second appears to have administrative and political connotations.

7) The process of ‘transition’ of the competences of UNMIK to the PISG and the ICO/EULEX will now be called ‘reconfiguration’ - This indicates merely a change in the structure and organization of the institutions and not the transition of powers from one institution to another. It means that UNMIK is never leaving.

2008-04-03T13:38:00.002+02:00

So Olli Rehn noted today that he wants the Western Balkans to be "normal, prosperous and

boring". The last time somebody promised something similar, it was Vojislav Kostunica, promising a "normal, boring country". I guess this is one election promise he did not live up to. So, Olli Rehn, be warned... maybe a compromise could be found, the Western Balkans slightly more boring and the EU slightly less boring.

2008-03-22T10:22:00.002+01:00

Hilary Clinton discovered in retrospect, how dangerous it was going to Bosnia in 1996... sounds like in five years, she will also remember that she fought of Radovan Karadzic single-handedly after the landing and chased after a horde of assorted war criminals. Describing Bosnia in March 1996 as a war-zone is surely a bit silly (esp. if you are an American). I'd say visiting the US embassy in Belgrade today might be more risky...

2008-03-18T16:58:00.001+01:00

As part of the British Academy Project which I am working on with Gulnur Aybet and Neven Andjelic, we just launched the project website: http://integratingbosnia.org.uk/.

2008-03-18T16:49:00.003+01:00

The fall of a government...

The recent government crisis in Macedonia runs the risk of breaking with the tradition of Albanian party inclusion in goverment since 1990. The technical government in office since the government crisis triggered by the DPA leaving the governing coalition does not include Albanians, as the party refused to rejoin the government, even if only temporary. This reflects a general crisis in the Macedonian-Albanian political relations. Gruevski’s pledge to ignore ethnic politics when coming to office with the VMRO in 2006 has less meant tackling the other challenges Macedonia is facing, but rather ignoring the concerns of the Albanian community and engaging in constant campaigning, which has given him an edge over his main opponent, the SDSM, but alienated him from his coalition partner. New elections run the risk that his party might gain a strong position to form government, but will not facilitate compromise seeking with Albanian political parties. The failure of DPA to deliver during its time in government means that DUI will remain and probably strengthen its role as the strongest party among the Albanian community, resulting in a more difficult coalition forming process than after the last elections in 2006.

Thus, there are serious government and political crises in Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo and now Macedonia.

2008-03-15T20:30:00.001+01:00

How to make a threat...
Confronted with pressure from some EU states to handle banking secrecy more restrictively, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, said "I look forward to many years of fascinating, fundamental, discussion." Now here's a way to make a threat. Velja, Kostunica and co., take note.

2008-03-14T18:10:00.001+01:00

Headline of the day: Montenegro mobile penetration reaches 175.6 percent. I am not sure how mobile penetration can be more than a 100 percent, but I am not surprised that Montenegro succeeded. I guess everybody has a mobile and three quarters of a second one...

2008-02-26T20:42:00.003+01:00

According to Kathimerini, Matthew Nimetz has come up with five(!) new suggestions for the name of Macedonia:

Democratic Republic of Macedonia (like Democratic Republic of Congo or German Democratic Republic, generally reserved for, ehm, less democratic state)

Constitutional Republic of Macedonia (as opposed to the unconstitutional of Macedonia?)

Independent Republic of Macedonia (here's a compromise for Kosovo, it just calls itself 'independent' with quotation marks and Serbia pretends to accept it, or maybe the official name of Kosovo could become "Lazna Republika Kosova")

Republic of Upper Macedonia (like Upper Volta, aka Burkina Faso)

I think generally republics should be required to add meaningful adjectives to their names:

"Smallish Republic of Montenegro" (SROCG)

"Kinda Democratic Republic of Serbia" (KDROS)

"Democratic Federal and Sometimes Confederal Republic of Three Equal Constituent People and Nobody Else of Bosnia and Herzegovina" (DFSCRTECPNEBH)

2008-02-25T14:02:00.003+01:00

Forgotten in the whole discussion on the independence declaration of Kosovo has been the news that the Dayton Peace Agreement has been lost. Luckily somebody found it
. Currently the Serbian government is trying to find the independence declaration of Kosovo so that it can be 'lost' to.

2007-12-09T19:56:00.000+01:00

If you thought that the Department of Records in Brazil mistyping "Buttle" instead of "Tuttle" was one of the worst historic bureaucratic blunders, you're wrong.
In a court case in the Netherlands in which survivors sue the UN and the Netherlands over the genocide in Srebrenica, the UN noted that "its office in Sarajevo refused air support in Srebrenica because the Dutch commander there failed to fill the request form correctly."

Did they cross in the wrong box (please support us with UN navy maritime support) or did they wrongly identify what happened in the form (calling it mass murder prior to an independent UN confirmation based on an extended fact finding mission) or where some signatures missing (of the victims/perpetrators confirming events) ? I'm curious.

2007-11-27T22:05:00.000+01:00

Fast Food for Shmekers... I wonder if it schmeckts?

2007-11-26T21:32:00.000+01:00

While singing Partisan songs is still a scandal in Croatia, especially on election night, it is quiet ok in Bosnia.

2007-11-19T09:05:00.000+01:00

Here's the bad headline of the day from the IHT: "Early tally gives edge to pro-independence party in Kosovo". So PDK won narrowly over the other parties which are not pro-independence? It is hard to distinguish parties in Kosovo on the issue of political program, but still, emphasizing the only thing which does not set them apart is not exactly a journalistic highlight...

2007-11-01T17:21:00.000+01:00

If you are in Bosnia these days and are not following what's going on, you might be mistaken to think that presidential elections are occurring.

Candidate 1: Sarajevo, last weekend

Candidate 2: Banja Luka, last weekend
The good news is that there are no elections looming and neither Sanader nor Putin are running in them.

The bad news is that once more some are looking outside the country for help from other outsiders ruling the country.

In fact, the hysteria in RS and Serbia over Miroslav Ljacak's imposition is out of proportion when reading the decision and actually remembering that in the past year more often than not, decisions were not taken in the Council of Minister of Bosnia due to the boycott of Bosniak members.

Never before have RS officials and Serbia react so hostile to any OHR decision over the past 12 years, suggesting that it is not really about the decision, but rather something to do with Kosovo.
See more here

2007-06-28T12:03:00.000+02:00

Kostunica has the choice to give up Kosovo and choose the heavenly kingdom to follow the example of good old Knez Lazar. As Kostunica noted, a new Kosovo battle is being fought between Serbia and the USA. So Lazar will have the illustrious company of Milosevic and Kostunica keeping him company... Lucky him.

2007-06-22T20:08:00.000+02:00

The rest of the article from the BBC website actually made more sense. But as the headline reads, I am expecting a string of follow up articles: "Iran 'urged to finally meet international commitments: Kyoto Protocol or sanctions" or "UN presses Gaza on keeping beaches clean" or maybe "US government warns: Rising problem of fly-tipping in Iraq"

2007-06-20T21:38:00.000+02:00

It seems like Feral Tribune has come to an end. Ironically, it is not Tudjman's attempts to ban it through pornography tax but good old capitalism: The saying about the two certainties--taxes and death--seems closely intertwined in the case of Feral Tribune. Unable to pay back some huge tax bill from the Ministry of Finance, it stopped publishing. It's harder in the post-authoritarian times with less clear targets, smaller battles to fight, but I hope Feral will also survive this latest challenge.

2007-05-15T18:54:00.000+02:00

Happy Birthday, B92!

Today B92 became an 'adult', celebrating it's 18th birthday. When listing to all the stories about B92 during the 1990s, being an adult promises to make the station a lot more boring and less interesting than it was in its younger years. It is hard to be as provocative nowadays, but as one listener said today, how come that the radicals are still in parliament, as they were in the 1990s and B92 is no longer the same.

2007-05-13T21:34:00.000+02:00

Miroslav Lajcak has been formally named new High Rep. for Bosnia by the PIC. This confirms what has been long expected. He will replace Schwarz-Schilling in July. Will he be just another 'last HR' or really the last one (both Ashdown and Schwarz-Schiling suggested being the last ones). His main accomplishment has been the mediation in Montenegro for the referendum. While the referendum and independence went smoothly, there were a lot of ifs which remained unclear and highly problematic in last year's intervention (the so-called gray zone in particular, i.e. what to do if less than 55 but more than 50 % voted for independence). Lacking heavy weight backing from a larger EU member state (like Ashdown) and in fact being from a country which has a government currently not viewed as the most, ehem, European might make Lajcak weak. Considering the confrontational climate in Bosnian politics at the moment and the standstill in terms of reforms, this is all not too promising.

2007-05-13T20:37:00.000+02:00

The Politics of Eurovision
So Serbia won for the first time the Eurovision contest (the last and only time Yugoslavia won with Riva in 1990, the country fell apart...). Goran's blog at B92 is great on the domestic debates on Marija Serifovic and the fact that she does not resemble the conventional singers who make it Serbia...
Yesterday I was able to witness Terry Wogan's legendary commentary for the first time...and instead I got Jacques Chirac. Wogan's view of Eastern Europe was awfully reminiscent of Chirac when he called the countries of Eastern Europe "mal élevée" (badly educated). Wogan, annoyed at the apparent block voting, even called a new wall (I shall not comment on the tastelessness of this suggestion). Teaming prejudice, his commentary displayed a great degree of ignorance. He was upset at the voting along certain geographic blocks (ex-Soviet Union, Baltics, Balkans, etc.) and apparently had particular disdain at the East European for this habit.
His commentary ignored the fact that although Western Europe might be economically more powerful, there are simply more countries in "Eastern Europe". Of the 42 participating countries, only 16 are from 'Western Europe' (without Greece), so a disbalance in favor of the East should not surprise anybody (and let's not forget that the only four countries which do not have to earn their place are... Germany, France, UK and Spain). Furthermore, the accusation of block voting ignores the real regional political dynamics. Geographic proximity often makes voting for each other more difficult. Nationalist stereotypes would suggest that it would be easier for Turkey to, let's say vote for the UK, than Armenia. This is in fact the fascinating bit of the competition how televoting meant that politically problematic votes (like Turkey for Armenia, Croatia for Serbia) are no longer excluded by 'politically correct' juries. Eurovision-Citizens calling in have often demonstrated to the break some conventional animosities. When Austria supports Germany, Turkey Armenia, Croatia Serbia, etc. then this is voting despite (past) political considerations, not because of them.
Geographical patterns exist, but they are not rigid blocks but rather patterns determined not only by geography or supposed regional sympathy. Musical tastes differ across Europe and not everything will appeal everywhere, and this after all the fun of the whole spectacle.

2007-05-12T20:45:00.000+02:00

After extended attempts to transform Tadic into Kostunica, the experiment finally succeeded (see above). The government looks a lot like continuity with the previous one. In particular DSS has had relatively few losses, considering that in fact the heavy-weight ministries which DS gained were previously held either by G17plus (finance, defense) or by SPO (foreign affairs). Good news, no more capital investments, although Velja "Kobsicijade" Ilic can still build highways and enrich political life with his astute observations.
The silly ministry of this government is the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija. In fact, I think there should be two ministries, one for Kosovo and one for Metohija, guided by a joint council on Kosovo and Metohija...

2007-05-11T11:40:00.000+02:00

The latest news that DS and DSS (and G17) agreed to form a government seems like the 'playing chicken' phase of government formation is over. So electing Nikolic might turn out to have been a similar bluff (and hopefully shortlived) like Velja Ilic's talk about a DSS minority government with radical support a few weeks ago. The key question now to find out is who blinked first: DS or DSS. For a while DSS had the stronger card as they could (theoretically) form an alternative government to a coalition with DS. However, the threat of new elections, just a few days away, seems to be benefiting DS rather than DSS, as they could be portraying themselves as the only/last bastion against radicals in government.
Now the question is whether the other chicken game--between the USA and Russia--in the UN security council will be similarly resolved.

2007-05-07T18:32:00.000+02:00

As serious discussions on Kosovo in the UN Sec. Council are approaching, it might be time to think of scenarios. I can see three scenarios that might happen.

The first one would be that the UN Sec. Council votes to endorse the Ahtisaari plan. This would primarily mean Russia backing down from its insistence on an agreed solution (i.e. Serbia agreeing to any plan for Kosovo). Considering that Russia has made a considerable investment in preventing a vote, including the visit of UN Sec. Council members to Kosovo, any simple backing down of Russia seems unlikely at this point. Secondly, if Russia was isolated, pressure might mount, but it seems like not only some other UN Sec. Council members, but also some EU members are less than enthusiastic about the plan which would secure Kosovo's independence. Thus, this outcome seems increasingly unlikely.

In the second scenario, Russia would successfully block the resolution and/or push for a resolution to continue negotiations. Besides the fact that the odds for any negotiated solution between Kosovo and Serbia are infinitely small, such a resolution is unlikely to be endorsed by the USA and UK. Instead, this scenario would mean no resolution. In this case, a unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo would be recognized by some countries, the UN mission would loose all legitimacy, and the North of Kosovo would secede. The risk for violence in Mitrovica or against Serbs in enclaves elsewhere would be great, as would be a turn to the nasty in Serbia (esp. if there will be new elections). Exactly for this reason, EU and USA will try to avoid this outcome.

The third, and in my view most likely, scenario is that the UN Security Council will pass a compromise resolution which does not fully endorse Artisaari plan, but acknowledges it (or something along these lines), transfers the international administration from UN to EU and offers to take final decision (maybe on the basis of the Artisaari plan, just like the UN Sec. Council Res. 1244 takes account of the Rambouillet plans) within a closely defined time frame (i.e. one year or less). This would allow Russia to claim victory, while preventing a chaotic vacuum in Kosovo. The key challenge will be on how to secure support from the Kosovo Albanian elite to prevent a unilateral declaration of independence or violence. While not exactly the ideal case scenario, this solution might allow the EU mission to prepare Kosovo for independence and avoid a void, which would be worse in terms of precedent setting and potential violence than no resolution at all.

2007-04-26T17:07:00.000+02:00

When crickets become evidence... Jutarnji List reports that some have questioned the recently released recording of the meeting in Brijoni of Tudjman and the army to plan operation Oluja in 1995. According to the report there is no sound of crickets when Tudjman talks about the expulsion of Serbs, unlike elsewhere on the recording. In its comprehensive reporting, it also shares some information on crickets: they only chirp when its warmer than 25 degrees (in fact you can calculate the temperature by the frequency of the chirps) and they don't chirp when they are in danger or they rest.
So if there was no chirping during during these statements, I would propose several alternative theories to that of a doctored tape: a) the crickets were exhausted and took a quick break; b) they thought they would be expelled next and as noted above, crickets in danger don't chirp or c) there was an unexpected drop in temperature (a certain chill in the air so to speak) or d) they just didn't want to be on the soundtrack to such a project...

2007-04-19T10:57:00.000+02:00

Here's a short interview for RFE I gave on the Kosovo status discusion in Serbian and in Albanian

2007-04-19T10:46:00.002+02:00

"Serbia, China agree to boost agricultural cooperation"

This is todays headline of the Chinese XINHUA news agency. Not exactly saving Kosovo...
Here's a reconstruction of the conversation:
Kostunica: You have to veto the Artisaari plan, it will forcibly remove 15 % (actually, we re-calculated, it is 15.3%) of our territory. This will be a precedent...etc etc
Hui Liangyu: (looking distracted through the window)... I see you have nice corn fields, do you want to sign an agreement?
Kostunica: Yes, especially for the cornfields in Kosovo, so that we trade on the basis of all 100% of Serbian corn fields, not just 84.7% of them. etc. etc.
Hui Liangyu (yawning) Okok

and thus the glorious agreement on boosting agricultural cooperation was signed

2007-03-27T12:43:00.000+02:00

Finally the "I" word has been mentioned officially for Kosovo. Today Ahtisaari unveiled his plan for Kosovo and after avoiding now, as expected, mentions that Kosovo should be given independence. The hesitancy over the past seven years to name future status of Kosovo this explicitly has been understandable, but also gave unrealistic hope to the Serbian elite that anything else was an option. At this point, unfortunately, it still looks like Serbian authorities will be busier preventing the decision in the Sec. Council and any implementation, rather than making the best of the offer and the extensive minority rights protections offered in the package.

2007-03-21T22:15:00.000+01:00

Where's Veljko?

A few years ago when looking to rent a flat in Belgrade, we nearly rented from Veljko Kadijevic daughter-in-law. She shared her outrage with us that he was wrongly maligned as the last minister of defense of Yugoslavia. Apparently the USA agrees.
As Blic reports, he is living in Florida, advising the Pentagon in Iraqi bunkers these days. Wasn't that the same Kadijevic who was raving about the 'foreign factors' destroying Yugoslavia ...

2007-03-14T19:01:00.000+01:00

In Sarajevo last week I noticed that Vucko posters in town to remind of the Winter Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has possibly the best description of this little furry wolf with the howl which seems to call for cough-drops:

"Vuchko", the tough and courageous wolf. This mascot helped to change the traditionally frightening and bloodthirsty image of the wolf, which is present in the region. This wolf has both a serious and a cheerful side, but is happy rather than serious. It symbolises the desire of human beings to make friends with animals, to make a wolf into a Vuchko.

2007-03-07T16:13:00.000+01:00

Spam of the day:

Von: "UNITED NATIONS AWARD DEPARTMENT." info.message04...Betreff: UNIVERSAL AWARD

Did you know that the UN is handing out awards these days? You can expect my disappointment when it was not for my contributions to global peace.

2007-03-02T23:31:00.000+01:00

Motto of the day: Graffiti from Belgrade

2007-02-07T19:40:00.000+01:00

Yesterday Paddy Ashdown gave a lecture here in at the University of Kent. He spoke only little on Bosnia, but instead offered both a biting critique of unilateral intervention a la Iraq and an equally staunch defense of intervention in Bosnia and other countries, if done multilaterally.
Most interesting was his lessons learned from intervention, some already generally accepted in the policy community such as rule of law first, elections second, others, although obvious, were more instructive, such as don't model the country on (an idealized version of) your own country. A number of these lessons seem to be the result of reflecting after his mission as HR in Bosnia. In particular, he favors the abolition of the Bonn powers and movement towards greater self-governance in Bosnia. Considering that he was arguably the most interventionist high rep, the call for less intervention should be instructive for current discussions on extending the mandate of the OHR in Bosnia.

2007-02-03T20:35:00.000+01:00

Here are some quick Yugo-nostalgic food tips for Skopje (in German, sorry)

2007-01-31T17:59:00.000+01:00

Gloomy?
When discussing the Western Balkans with analysts and policy makers, one can notice distinct mood shifts over the years. In some cases is might be just because you are at a gathering of optimists or pessimists, in other cases it has little to do with the situation in the countries, as it might be the case of dissapointed internatioanl (false) expections or what is bad in one country does not necessarily bode ill for another.
Be this as it may, it was striking to note the worried atmosphere at a meeting last week in Paris of EU policy makers and analysts. After 2006 seemed like a year where transition from post-conflict to European integration would be more tangible, little was decided. Now 2007 might be overwhelmed by the legacy of 2006. Both the status decision for Kosovo and the shutting down of the OHR in Bosnia appears already to be too much in one go. So, local 'ownership', the buzzword of a few years back has fallen in popularity. It appears that the future EU mission in Kosovo will be similar to the OHR including the Bonn-powers (to dimiss officials and pass legislation) and since the current High Rep. Schwarz Schilling is leaving early and even he noted the continued need for the OHR, full souvereignty to Bosnia also seem to be not forthcoming any time soon. To a large degree, the talk of an independence referendum of the Serb Republic by Milorad Dodik is to blame. Ironically, one of the politicians the most critical of the international community and of the OHR in particular has thrown it another life-line.
Whether the OHR will remain effective and it's decision legitimate remains to be seen. It is an emperor without clothes and if it is called on its weakness, there might be difficulties ahead. A few years back, a good part of Bosnian citizens supported an increase in the power of the OHR, in 2006 the UND early warning report notes that supporters of reducing the OHR's competences are larger than those who would like to increase it among all three national communities. Similarly in Kosovo, there is a question whether such a type of mission will be legitimate and accepted, especially as the status solution is unlikely to satisfy anybody fully.
Finally, as there is a sense that EU enlargement might be slowed down and not because of the countries in the region, but because of the EU's current internal crisis, the key carrot might be loosing some of its pull.
Altogether, the meeting left me thinking that despite some key decisions being taken in 2007, stability remains at risk and we might have to wait for 2008 for more courageous steps towards EU Integration of the region.

2007-01-28T12:33:00.000+01:00

Last Monday, I participated in a discussion on the status of Kosovo and its implications at LSE. What was striking beside the apparently large interest in the topic was the diaspora mobilization. As a result, it was more controversial and difficult to talk calmly about some issues, such as conditional independence, than in Belgrade (or Prishtina). I guess abroad there are more people who see their role as "professionally" defending what they think their nations' interest is.

2007-01-28T12:20:00.000+01:00

Here's an article for which I gave some statements on the elections in Serbia...

Globe and Mail, 19.1.2007

Fate of Serbian reform hinges on vote

BRUCE I. KONVISER

Special to The Globe and Mail; SOURCES

PRAGUE -- Serbs go to the polls Sunday in an early election to decide whether the country continues along its plodding path toward Western integration, accelerate the pace of reform or slide back toward radical nationalism. And the wild card in the race will be voter turnout.

2007-01-28T10:51:00.000+01:00

Beware of university cafeterias. More than once in recent history have they been the source of protest and unrest. The mention that the confrontation between supporters of Hizbollah and other opposition groups and government followers began in the cafeteria of the Beirut Arab University. This reminds me of the 1981 demonstrations and riots in Kosovo which also began in the university cafeteria over bad food and later demanded the status of republic for Kosovo.
Solution: Close down university cafeteria in troubled times... or maybe serve such good food that nobody can complain.

2006-07-14T10:23:00.000+02:00

To quote the Montenegrin daily Republika, "Biber trazi promjene" [Biber asks for changes], I will now start writing with East Ethnia. Enjoy and looking forward to your comments there.

2006-03-20T17:45:00.001+01:00

Don't cry for me Serbia...

On Saturday, I stopped by the 'meeting' to commemorate the death of Miloesvic in front of the Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro. Although the numbers were impressive (80,000 according to police, 500,000 according to SPS), the gathering was pretty pathetic. The atmosphere was too pathetic for a meeting or protest, and too angry for a funeral.
Particularly striking were the women who cried at the manifestation for Milosevic’s funeral not for Slobo, but for themselves. They cried over their own misery and poverty. The tragedy lies in the fact that they do not realize that the one they are formally crying for is the one mostly responsible for their misery.

2006-02-18T17:32:00.000+01:00

Here's a short

interview with Gradjanski List on Kosovo, Montenegro and other
easy topics. The English version will be available soon.

2006-02-08T17:14:00.000+01:00

In the brave new world of ethnicity in Bosnia, the House of Peoples in the Serb Republic also has one MP, who is 'neuter'... in the original it is "neopredjeljena", I guess undecided. Otherwise, its multiethnic heaven, including Serbs, Montenegrins, Croats, Bosniaks, Slovenes and Jews.

2006-02-06T09:59:00.000+01:00

It turns out that Sali Berisha plagiarized a speech from his much beloved predecessor Fatos Nano (as if talking about "solving the system of equations" wouldn't give it away). Coincidentally, I found out recently from a colleague that a draft constitution of an unnamed African country plagiarized its neighbors constitutions. Hmm, how could one punish governmental plagiarism? Maybe there should be an EU guideline against state plagiarism, but then how would candidate countries adopt all this acquis communitaire...

2006-01-27T16:32:00.000+01:00

I guess that Minister of Defense of SCG Zoran Stankovic took the metophor of parallels between finding Mladic and finding a needle in a hay stack a bit too literally.

2006-01-10T17:33:00.000+01:00

György Spiró has discovered the EU Commission for European Standards guidelines for writing a novel. It contains gems such as Art. 13 D):

"Positive Main Characters recommended exceptionally strongly:

a) A grandmother who underwent many terrible tribulations before the advent of the EU with her spiritual and moral integrity remaining intact, and who now educates her grandchildren single-handedly in such a manner that they become upright, law-abiding citizens of the European Union who meet the challenges of business life."

or

Art. 5 & 6:

5) The Novel must contain Dialogue and Author's Text. A work lacking either of these will not qualify as a Novel and will not be supported.

6) The ideal ratio between Dialogue and Author's Text is 2 : 1. A maximum divergence of + or 12 per cent is tolerable. Any divergence of a larger order will result in the disqualification of the work from European Union support.

http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2005-10-03-spiro-en.html

2006-01-10T13:51:00.000+01:00

The German state of Baden Württemberg introduced a "guiding" questionnaire for applicants for German citizenship. The questionnaire has been criticized by the Greens and others for being biased, as most questions appear to be focusing particular on the Muslim community and making personal views ("Gesinnung") a
criteria for citizenship.

I think the problem is not so much the questions, they are less problematic than some countries asking for cooking recipes as criteria of citizenship. I am just wondering how many "good Germans" would answer questions such as "Imagine your adult son tells you he is gay and wants to live with another man. How do you react?" or "Your daughter applies for a job in Germany. She is rejected while the job was offered to a black African from Somalia. How do you react?" in the desired way. What is the right answer to become an average German (or average West European in general)?

For the full list in German see the following link from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

2006-01-08T12:38:00.000+01:00

The Muji shop in the UK has followed recent events and issued the Paris + Banlieu package to play with... I did not dare to open the bag and find out what it contains (burned cars, etc.)

2005-12-21T09:17:00.000+01:00

C-Market, the Serbian super market chain, is not only responsible for providing first class products, but also for items which are able to satisfy the housewives of the Soviet Union.

2005-12-20T15:39:00.000+01:00

I admit that writing a letter to the editor for the Washington Times is like writing a policy brief to Rumsfeld telling him that the war in Iraq was a bad idea and hoping for change. Anyhow, I did write one following a particularly disturbing opinion piece on Bosnia, which hit on all the themes any nationalist publication in Serbia would be proad of: The Islamist-terrorist threat, the artificial nature of multiethnic states and the threat through centralization to Serbs and Croats.

The letter can be read at:

http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/ed-letters.htm

The original article "Islamist State in Europe" with such memorable lines as "The Croatians are dying" is available at:

http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20051218-125507-6951r.htm

2005-12-05T12:17:00.000+01:00

Here's some evidence that the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts are not only dealing with topics of 'national' importance, here's the poster of a recent lecture at the SANU on the opportunities of cardiac death.

2005-12-05T11:55:00.000+01:00

Staying in the wonderful Altstadt Hotel in Vienna, I noticed that the hotel belongs to a chain of hotels with branches in Austria and "the former crown lands". What about some similar chains. German hotels in Breslau, Königsberg and other former territories of the reich, or a nice little Turkish hotel group with boutique hotels in Turkey and the former Ottoman sanjaks, including in Athens, Belgrade and Sofia.
The options seems endless and a great marketing ploy.
During the Bosnian war, bus tour operators in Vienna were advertising trips to Medjugorje and Orange picking in the Neretva valley in a former Austro-Hungarian crown land--Bosnia was mentioned nowhere, for good reason.

2005-11-22T17:33:00.000+01:00

Here are the latest solutions to fight the bird flu from Belgrade (from the press conference announcements at the media center)...

2005-11-21T15:21:00.000+01:00

On the occassion of the 10 year anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords, I am glad to announce the publication of my study of post-war governance of Bosnia, published with Palgrave in the UK. The book discusses in detail how Dayton has shaped institutions in Bosnia, the attempts at overcoming the legacy of the war and evolution of Bosnia over the past decade.

If you are interested in sample chapters or more detailed information, don't hesitate to contact me at bieberf at gmx.net

I apologise for the high price of 45 Pounds (it's still less than 25 pence per page).

Florian Bieber

Post-War Bosnia: Ethnicity, Inequality and Public Sector Governance

London: Palgrave, 2006. pp. 176 + xvi.

Florian Bieber

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1403998825/balkanacademi-21/202-8610048-1415019?creative=6394&camp=1406&link_code=as1

http://www.palgrave.com/products/Catalogue.aspx?is=1403998825

Ten years after the end of the war, ethnicity in Bosnia continues to matter and the country remains dependent on international intervention. The Dayton Peace Accords signed in 1995 successfully ended the war, but froze the ethnic conflict in one of the most complex systems of government in the world. The book provides an in-depth analysis of governance in this divided post-war country, providing important lessons for international intervention elsewhere around the world, from Afghanistan to Iraq.

Contents

Front Matters

Introduction

Historical Legacies

Cleavages and Inequalities in Post-War Bosnia

Governance and Administration in Bosnia

The Record of the Post-Dayton Elections

Addressing Inequality & Reforming Governance in Post-war Bosnia

Conclusions

Appendice

Notes

Bibliography

Index

'An informative study of the special challenges of governance, stabilization and European integration in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will be useful to scholars and policymakers alike.' - Sumantra Bose, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

'Bieber's exemplary study of Bosnia and Herzegovina...is based on extensive research, in-depth knowledge, and a remarkably balanced view of the achievements and shortcomings of the international overlords. Bieber presents a convincing contribution to the debate on how to turn this experiment in state building into a truly self-sustaining democratic and multi-ethnic Bosnia.' - Wolfgang Petritsch, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1999-2002

2005-11-07T09:38:00.000+01:00

Zastava has been apparantly working on a new secrete prototype of the new Zastava Smart, spotted yesterday at the buvljak, Belgrade.

2005-11-03T16:33:00.000+01:00

Here's some evidence that reading is not always a good thing... I read only Kurir and Srpski Nacional, two Serbian tabloids for a week. What this lead to, read
Super Kurir Me on TOL.

2005-11-03T08:09:00.000+01:00

In case you always wondered what a bishop behind bars looked like, here's a realistic picture (http://freearchbishop.com/)

2005-11-03T07:30:00.000+01:00

In a sentimental piece about Ashdown leaving Bosnia soon, the Guardian describes him as having "assumed an authority which has been compared to that of a medieval pope." It is important to emphasize the word 'medieval', as the concept of Papal Infallibility was only introduced in 1870.
Telling is when Ashdown notes that his biggest failure was the fact that "is that although we have created institutions, we have not created a civil society." He made a similar remarked at a recent conference on the 10 year anniversary of Dayton in Geneva. I guess that as long as outsiders try to 'create' a civil society in Bosnia or elsewhere, we're in trouble.

2005-11-02T16:59:00.000+01:00

Blic published today a nice little list of all the international negotiators Serbia and ex-Yu has seen come and go (and in some cases come back again). Some forgotten (does anyone remember Vitalji Churkin's efforts) others more prominent.
Any further additions to the list welcome.

No. 1: Jacques Poos, the foreign minister of Luxembourg who uttered those famous words about the hour of Europe dawning.

2005-11-01T10:25:00.000+01:00

Here's a short comment on the beginning of the status talks on Kosovo. I wrote it for NIN, the Serbian weekly, but they decided against publishing it in the end.

Substance or Status?

The beginning of final status talks is an acknowledgement that democratization, minority rights and economic and social development in Kosovo cannot be advanced without resolving the status and local authorities taking more responsibility. While timing matters, there was never much doubt outside of Serbia itself since June 1999 that Kosovo would not return under Serbian rule. At the same time, the failure of both the international presence and the political elite (Kosovo Albanian and Serb alike) to promote a democratic society, a vibrant economy and a functional political system, suggest that ‘independence’ (with or without qualifiers) is not going to resolve the problems of Kosovo, but without a resolution of the status question, non eof the real issue will be tackled.
So where to go from there? The formula of the Serbian authorities “Less than independence, more than autonomy” does not help much and is in fact as little of a compromise (why would one side propose a compromise?), as complete independence from the Kosovo Albanians side. Even in the worst repression under Milošević, Kosovo was conditionally independent in the sense that Serbia did not control the social, political, cultural and economic life of the Albanian majority other than by repression. It is hard to offer less independence to a population and government who will act as if they have that independence (consider Montenegro).
What is lacking, both on the Albanian and on the Serbian side, however, is a discussion on the substance, not the form of the final status. What should be the substance of Serbia’s interests in Kosovo? Here are some suggestions: a) the rights of Kosovo Serbs should be secured and displaced Serbs and Roma should be able to return in Kosovo (or receive support if they want to stay in Serbia); b) the border should be open and there should be a free flow of goods and persons between Kosovo and Serbia, c) the cultural heritage in Kosovo, including the Serb heritage should be protected (argubly the cultural heritage is European, not only Serb). d) Kosovo should be stabile, with strong institutions and a vibrant economy. Such practical goals, rather than symbolically clinging to formal status, are much more likely to yield results and provide both security for Serbia and a future for Serbs in Kosovo.