"What would you die for? What would you kill for?"
Questions posed by Professor Sheridan, on the complexities that motivate the best and worst of human actions
18 November 2010 - 28 November 2010
Beginning on the 18th of November, our class began a ten day trip through the Balkans. Our focus was the dissolution of Yugoslavia, a subject that had repeatedly been referenced in our Defense Economics Seminar. Our primary professor for that seminar had been professionally involved in the conflict, but for the sake of consistency I will abstain from disclosing his name. For those dying to know, here is a hint: he was the spokesman for NATO for much of the conflicts, including Kosovo, and he speaks with a charming cockneye accent.
It is known that I do not enjoy road trips. In general, I can persevere through the several hour duration that it takes to drive from Chicago to Louisville, in which we visit our dear family residing in the great state of Kentucky at around this time every other year. No matter. But any longer, and the drive becomes rather tedious. Side note: I did manage 27 hours on a train ride multiple times when I joined the Gloria Dei Youth Group in a mission to a Native American reservation approximatelz 30 miles from Havre, Montana. That trip, however, passed by quicker than any of us realized (we really were having a smashing time) but to our fellow residents in our coach it probably felt twice as long due to our lively escapades. I will never forget you, Antonio the conductor. May your good looks continue to dazzle and amaze your passengers from one side of our nation to the other.
Our travels to the Balkans were not nearly as fleeting. Assuredly, your Saint Luc did learn his lesson on the multiple bus rides around Spain last summer, in which he was reminded why it is a bad idea to drink many beers before a several hour long journey. Nevertheless, spending so long in a bus is never a terribly exciting endeavor, even with beautiful scenic views and good movies. It was with great relief when we finally arrived in Zagreb, Croatia, to begin our exploration of the Balkans. Our journey was made more comfortable by a one night rest in Augsberg, Germany, in which we subjected the staff at a small Vietnamese diner to a two hour long debate on the use of conventional military forces in Afghanistan vs small scale operations executed through special forces without deployment of tens of thousands of marines and soldiers. Nights like those remind me that I go to American University (they don't remind me why).
Zagreb, Croatia
Zagreb is not often listed as a popular tourist destination for non-EU citizens, but in the coming years it will likely make the cut. Of the Balkan states, Croatia is the furthest along in the accession process to become a member state of the European Union, and with its integration into the EU may soon come admission into the Schengen area. If or when this happens, Croats will be able to travel freely within the European Union without requiring a visa, an ability that is highly coveted among much of the populace residing in the Balkan states. Among the earliest states to secede from the former Yugoslav Republic, Croatia was able to avoid the prolonged struggle that characterized the secession of other states from Yugoslavia (i.e., Bosnia a conflict that would eventually lead to the intervention of Western European nations and the United States). Today, Zagreb is a urban, cosmopolitan city with surprisingly good nightlife. One day in the not so distant future I will make it a point to return.
Our professor led us on a brief walking tour through the city and then turned us loose for dinner. Zagreb does have a wonderful student section, including a street full of packed restaurants and bars. Throughout the Balkans trip I became very fond of an entree called cevapcici, which essentially are small but delicious sausages made from beef and sometimes lamb. Following an excellent dinner, we walked into the main avenue of the city, where a wine festival was underway. A large tent had been set up in the center of a large boulevard, and a live band was performing. For those unfamiliar with Croatian wine, which was myself, it is shockingly underrated, and also quite affordable. White wine is the new red, as far as I am concerned, and if I ever do figure out what type of wine it was that I was drinking I will be sure to track it down and purchase it in abundance.
Sarajevo, Bosnia
The most volatile destination on our trip in terms of its history, Sarajevo has made a truly remarkable recovery from the Bosnian War against Yugoslavia. During that war, the Serbian army, aided by the Serb minority living in Bosnia in the Republic of Serbska, surrounded Sarajevo and seiged it for four years. Bosnia had declared independence from Yugoslavia, which was governed and administrated mainly by Serbs, and the Republic of Serbska, which was still home to the Bosnian Serb population, had appealed to Yugoslavia for protection. The response was devastating for Sarajevo. The city was surrounded by the Serbian forces, who set up outposts in the mountains that surrounded the city. From there, they could easily fire mortars and take potshots at the Bosnians trapped inside the city, many of who were innocent civilians.
Due to international regulations, no new weapons were allowed into the Balkans. The rationale for this regulation assumed that without weapons a war could not be conducted. Sadly, what was not considered was the fact that the Serbian army was already well armed and trained. Bosnia, lacking small arms, had nothing with which to fight back.
During our stay, we resided in the Holiday Inn. This seemingly insignificant detail was deliberately incoroporated into our travel itinerary, due to its historical significance during the seige. The Holiday Inn was where the journalists stayed during the seige, including our previously mentioned professor. The avenue on which it was located was nicknamed "Sniper Alley," as it was exposed to sniper fire from the Serbian positions in the mountains.
We spent two nights in Sarajevo, and in both cases I explored the Turkish quarters of the city. As our professor had informed us, the point of distinction between the Bosniacs, the Croats, and the Serbs was religion. They shared and continue to share a common language (though they are attempting to differentiate it) as well as a common geneological ancestry. The Bosniacs are predominantly Muslim, but distinct from the mannerisms in which it is practiced in the Middle East. The Serbs are Eastern Orthdox, and the Croats have remained Roman Catholic since the Roman Empire. Because of the identity with Islam, the mosque and madrassa in the Turkish quarters was completely natural to the Bosniac citizens.
On one occasion we passed through a large market in which a mortar had detonated, killing a large number of innocent civilians. Though such acts were common at the time, there are allegations that the mortar was actually fired by Bosnians at other Bosnians in order to stir nationalistic fervor and to compel the International Community to take retaliatory measures against the Serbian Army. NATO bomb experts arrived at the scene, but as it had been raining it was impossible for them to determine if the mortar had come from the city itself or from the mountains. In any event, the incident was a tragedy for humanity, but to the Bosnians it was more so a fact of life for those still trapped within the city. Individuals were not permitted to leave, and the only way in or out was through the airport, which was used by NATO to deliver provisions for the population. Most of these supplies were seized by the Serbian Army instead. NATO had negotiated with the Serbs for the protection and use of the airport, and one condition was that no Bosnians would be allowed to escape. Beyond the airport was a free territory still under Bosnian control, the only safe haven for the residents of Sarajevo. The Bosnians eventually constructed a tunnel that ran from Sarajevo under the airport and into the free territory. At its peak, three thousand people were able to pass through it in a single day.
The above map, featured in the Tunnel Museum, shows the positions of the Serbian Army around Sarajevo (in red). The narrow corridor between Sarajevo and Free Bosnian Territory, where the airport was located, was protected by NATO forces who had agreed to use it solely for providing supplies to the city residents. The tunnel was built in the corridor after repeated failures of Bosnians to escape through the airport itself.
Srebenica
The town of Srebenica is the site at which some 8,000 Bosnian men and boys were systematically murdered by the Serbian Army. Serbian soldiers, led by the now war criminal Radtko Mladic, arrived in Srebenica to find thousands of unarmed, displaced Bosnians protected by only 150 Dutch NATO soldiers. They ordered the men and boys over the age of 12 to separate from the women, who they then deported and later systematically raped. The men and boys were taken to a nearby town and executed. Families were separated, never to see each other again. Ethnic cleansing was conducted by both sides, making the dissolution of Yugoslavia the bloodiest European conflict since World War II. Below are photos of the cemetery at Srebenica, where the identified victims are buried. The bodies of many Bosnians were buried in mass graves, making the process of identification far more difficult. The true identities of many of the victims remain unknown.
One of thousands of gravestones, this one was particularly tragic. The years of this victim's life were 1980 to 1995, meaning that the boy was only fifteen years old when executed.
Here is pictured the actual gate to the UN/NATO compounds at Srebenica. Srebenica was initially designated as a safety zone for Bosnian refugees by the UN. Given only 150 Dutch soldiers to defend the area, the NATO forces were unable to guarantee the safety of the thousands of Bosnians from the Serbian Army, which demanded that the refugees be removed from the compound and turned over. Visible in the photo are the letters "UN" signifying that this area was under the protection and jurisdiction of the United Nations. Unfortunately, the UN soldiers were powerless to prevent the Serbian forces from seizing the refugees and subsequently executing them.
The Headquarters of the NATO commanders at Srebenica
We discussed at length the controversies and atrocities that occurred during the conflict in the Balkans, and the legacy of those conflicts that remain unresolved to this day. While the Serbian genocide waged on the Bosnians is morally wrong and indefensible, it must be remembered that all sides committed terrible acts against the others. Pictured above is a Memorial Plaque at Srebenica. It says:
On one occasion we passed through a large market in which a mortar had detonated, killing a large number of innocent civilians. Though such acts were common at the time, there are allegations that the mortar was actually fired by Bosnians at other Bosnians in order to stir nationalistic fervor and to compel the International Community to take retaliatory measures against the Serbian Army. NATO bomb experts arrived at the scene, but as it had been raining it was impossible for them to determine if the mortar had come from the city itself or from the mountains. In any event, the incident was a tragedy for humanity, but to the Bosnians it was more so a fact of life for those still trapped within the city. Individuals were not permitted to leave, and the only way in or out was through the airport, which was used by NATO to deliver provisions for the population. Most of these supplies were seized by the Serbian Army instead. NATO had negotiated with the Serbs for the protection and use of the airport, and one condition was that no Bosnians would be allowed to escape. Beyond the airport was a free territory still under Bosnian control, the only safe haven for the residents of Sarajevo. The Bosnians eventually constructed a tunnel that ran from Sarajevo under the airport and into the free territory. At its peak, three thousand people were able to pass through it in a single day.
Two fatigued, heroic Bosnians escape via the tunnel into Bosnian free territory. They would later make it all the way to Brussels, after a long and arduous journey.
Srebenica
The town of Srebenica is the site at which some 8,000 Bosnian men and boys were systematically murdered by the Serbian Army. Serbian soldiers, led by the now war criminal Radtko Mladic, arrived in Srebenica to find thousands of unarmed, displaced Bosnians protected by only 150 Dutch NATO soldiers. They ordered the men and boys over the age of 12 to separate from the women, who they then deported and later systematically raped. The men and boys were taken to a nearby town and executed. Families were separated, never to see each other again. Ethnic cleansing was conducted by both sides, making the dissolution of Yugoslavia the bloodiest European conflict since World War II. Below are photos of the cemetery at Srebenica, where the identified victims are buried. The bodies of many Bosnians were buried in mass graves, making the process of identification far more difficult. The true identities of many of the victims remain unknown.
Memorial Plaque at the Site of the Genocide at Srebenica
We pray to Almighty God,
May grievance become hope!
May revenge become justice!
May mothers' tears become prayers
That Srebenica
Never happens again
To no one and
nowhere!
amen!
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