Draxblog III

Specter of Defections Not Haunting Croatia

America is going to change beyond recognition due to Barack Obama now having long-coveted goal of fillibuster-proof Senate majority that allows Democrats to do whatever they want and Republicans being reduced to insignificant perpetual minority - very much like Communists in post-war Italy and SDP in contemporary Croatia. With 60 senators, demographic trends and full support of media, Democratic majority in USA seems permanent and left-wing agenda is going to be pursued and achieved with intensity few people would have dreamed possible only few years ago.

However, I don't think that Croatian media are going to pay much attention to this event, most likely because the person responsible doesn't fit the narrative of miracle-working American president that was built among this country's media establishment and parts of public that actually care about those things (and who almost always happen to belong to Limousine Liberal Left). Specter was Republican and, as such, he represented the side what most Croatians see as Irreedemable Evil, therefore he is not worthy of being mentioned in positive context, even when he does the right thing.

Furthermore, the way Obama got his supermajority - elected representative switching parties -  looks very more like the prosaic reality of Croatian politics than idealistic Bright New World of Obama's America. In most cases, those defections were in direction different from Specter's - from left-wing to right-wing. In almost any cases those defections - whicha are quite common in regional and local assemblies - allowed for regional and local administration to look quite different from what voters had elected, thus creating widespread dissatisfaction and revulsion towards politics in general.

Specter's story might indicate that things aren't that different in America - which is, especially in Obama's time - supposed to be positive role model for Croatian politics. Croatian media, therefore, will do everything in their power to ignore and downplay the story and spare the public from another painful shattering of illusions.

 

G-Word

Associated Press recently published news analysis of Barack Obama's foreign policy. The most interesting detail in it are the strong and explicit parallels between Obama and Mikhail Gorbachev, last leader of Soviet Union. Most of Obama supporters are likely to view this comparison as a compliment, because American leader is put in the same league with great statesman, visionary and reformer who ended the Cold War and decades of nuclear nightmare.

On the other hand, by painting Obama as American Gorbachev AP and other media are unwillingly giving legitimacy to the voices who until recently belonged to lunatic fringe. In other words, if Obama is new Gorbachev, than it is somewhat easier to imagine United States of America having the same fate as Soviet Union.

Of course, USA being wiped from the political map of the world is still inconceivable. Due to different cultural, political and economic condititions, forces of separatism in America are still marginal. Good example is poll in Texas which shows that only 17 percent of Texans would vote for secession and only 25 percent believe that Texas actually has right to secede, despite Governor Rick Perry's claims.

On the other hand, when Gorbachev came to power, those who actually believed in imminent collapse of USSR were minority and those who publicly expressed such views were on the fringe, very much like Professor Igor Panarin is now. By calling Obama "American Gorbachev" media might fertilise public opinion - especially if current economic crisis gets as bad as many believe it would - for history to repeat itself and that phrase becomes chillingly self-fulfilling prophecy.

Another Romantic Revolutionary Ends in Bolivia

Hungarian media reports that one of the men killed by Bolivian police while allegedly plotting to assassinate plot against Evo Morales is Eduardo Rozsa-Flores, former Latin American leftist revolutionary who fought on the side of Croatia as leader of international volunteers during Patriotic War 1991. Those exploits were covered in Chico, 2001 film in which Rozsa-Flores played the main character - his alter ego. (Hungarian link).

In the NATO Now

Croatia, together with Albania, has joined NATO today. Sanader and the rest of Croatian political establishment are, predictably, trying to spin this as "grand achievement" and great day. The public in general shows less enthusiasm - mostly due to being more preoccupied with economic woes.

The establishment and media are also taking into account increased public sensitivity towards lavish state spending. Grand spectacle and razmatasm in order to show Croatia on the side of West, Democracy and Capitalism - which characterised George W. Bush's visit to Zagreb only one year ago - doesn't seem appropriate now, when salaries are being cut,

Most importantly, accession to NATO was long expected so this couldn't really look like great political achievement. On the other hand, reminding public about NATO accession success risks reminding them to the increasingly painful and embarassing failure in accession process towards EU.

Another reason why this day isn't likely to enter history books is in the manner Croatia joined NATO. While opinion polls showed brief majority of Croatians to support NATO membership, Sanader's government decided not to risk with referendum. The decision was made in 2007. SDP, although supportive of membership, supported referendum, as well as HSS - party which now constitutes Sanader's majority. However, all calls for referendum were silenced after November elections. Group of anti-war activists trying to force referendum via petitions failed miserably, not being able to find necessary number of signatures.

Therefore, Croatia joined this military alliance without proper democratic legitimacy. Of all members of Sabor only one - Dragutin Lesar (independent, formerly HNS) - voted against, mostly due to procedural reasons.

Is Lesar likely to become Stjepan Radić of 21st Century, warning Croatia not to join NATO "like geese in the fog" (or in the same way first Yugoslavia was joined in 1918)? So far, it doesn't look that way.

However, it is disturbing to think about World War 3 being more likely now than it was five or ten years ago, and Croatia now being certain to fully participate if or when such conflict occurs.

Victor's Justice

They call it victor's justice and make comparisons with Nuremberg trials, which are now exiled from the shrinking sphere of "politically correct" history.

They may be right. But, sometimes victor's justice is better than no justice at all. And some may make good argument about justice being done thing morning as much superior to the justice delivered in certain Dutch courtrooms.

My Name Appeared in Print

My review of 1964 film Seven Days in May was used as a reference in a 2003 book War and Film in America: Historical and Critical Essays by Marylin J. Matelski and Nancy Lynch Street.

 This is not the first time my name appears in printed publication, yet it is the first time it appears in a book. I found this by discovering Google's new book search engine.

Although I admit that this discovery might amount to nothing else than a temporary boost of my ego, there are definitely worse ways to start a month.

Southern Comfort

Severina Vučković (Severina Vuckovic), despite cacophony of sycophantic prediction by nearly every member of Croatian media establishment, failed to make much of an impact at Eurovision Song Contest. Despite all the hagiographic publicity and despite the attempts to put most positive "spin" on the famous film depicting her "boating accident", Eurovision voters were left unimpressed.

Even the former Yugoslav voters – who were supposed to be her ticket to the top - preferred Bosnian representative Hari Mata Hari and his song "Lejla".

In the end, Severina even failed to provide Croatia with finals at next year's Eurosong.

Croatians, on the other hand, didn't have to be in state of national mourning for too long. Only 24 hours later results of referendum in Montenegro gave Croatian media ample material for triumphalistic headlines like "Serbia Finally Humiliated" and "Serbia Loses Sea". This is only a first glimpse of months, if not years of Schadenfreude that would dominate Croatian media, especially if something in Croatia itself turns not as good as it was cracked up to be.

Small Details That Ruin Everything

You don't have to agree with presenter's views, but this piece was supposed to be interesting, illuminating and even educating.

And it was – until the mention of Enigma and its breaking. I wonder what it has to do with the subject matter. Or is this another proof that U-571 and similar products of Hollywood truth have much more damaging effect than previously thought?

Slobo Myths

Eric Gordy blogs about questions raised by Slobodan Milošević's (Slobodan Milosevic's) death and predicts the flood of conspiracy theories. Those theories are likely to be perpetuated into just another cycle of historical mythology.

Another contribution to the creation of Slobo mythology is provided by Croatian daily 24 sata with the headline "Worst Murderer Since Hitler". This headline may sell a lot of paper in former Yugoslavia, but I guess that victims of Idi Amin, Pol Pot or Saddam Hussein won't be that enthusiastic about that assessment.

This reminds me that there were times when those views weren't as politically correct as they are now. One example could be found in the words of current Croatian president Stipe Mesić (Stipe Mesic), spoken fifteen years ago.

In December 1990, following Milošević's victory on first multi-party elections in Serbia, Mesić, then a member of Yugoslav collective presidency, was asked to comment on it on Croatian Television. He said that he was an optimist and that the "peace option had won".

 

Another Bites the Dust

I wrote about this development elsewhere. Eric Gordy made few interesting observations in his blog (which was, incidentally, mentioned in unrelated Croatian TV talk show few days ago).