"Criminals, key business players"

With the EU in control, the criminals become the government

The development of the economy makes the criminals want to hide their guns and become respectable. That's all it is. Not some magical political fix.

If Serbia could develop her economy outside the EU as a tax haven, low cost manufacturing base, the same process of crime becoming invisible would occur.

Glenny fundamentally under emphasises the influence the imposition of sanctions by the West on Yugoslavia had in strengthening organized crime throughout the balkans.

So what if there was a direct oil pipeline from Albania to Montengro etc.? No of this was news to anybody but journalist at the time.

Western use of third parties to bypass the weapons embargo, using persons such as Viktor Bout (until recently protected by the US from being put on the UN list of dangerous arms traffikers) or turning a blind eye (Iranian 747s full of arms and exploding helicopters, ex-east german army tanks, mig-21s and other arms stocks), all served to strengthen organized criminal networks, much the same way the West supported the Mujahedin in Afghanistan against the Soviets in the 1980s before they turned around and bit the hand that fed them.

An easy example of the West's complicity in criminal activities is that it turned a blind eye to Djukanovic's tobacco traffiking enterprise (once he split with Milosevic) and western tobacco companies were complicit in this, i.e. getting their products into Western Europe without paying any tax, making cigarettes easier to buy and more accessible to the next generation of consumers.

Sanctions also forced the government to depend on organized crime to subvert sanctions - who knows better about how to avoid the 'authorities' etc.?

None of this is new at all though it seems to have been a revelation to Glenny. He's a bit slow sometimes.

And of course sanctions f***ed up the rest of the Balkans, though this didn't stop Bulgaria or Romania joining the EU eventhough they totally failed to deal with corruption, independence of the judiciary etc. (under the acquis communautiare chapter on Justice & Home Affairs).

What a laugh. Serbia is being made to jump through every single hoop to even get to the thinking stage about joing the EU (pre-accession), yet the rules are discarded when it is in the EU political elite's interests, i.e. Bulgaria and Romania.

Not only that, they openly talk of just ignoring the recent Irish no vote to the Lisbon agreement.

Is this the EU based on law and justice that the Serbs want to join? The joke really is on the Serbs....

Unfortunately most journalists and media outlets seem to think that the EU is paved with gold (structural funds maybe) but it is a mess (hence the need for Lisbon) and seem unwilling to inform Serb citizens of what is actually going on in the EU and what it means to be a member. It is mass self-hypnotizm. And I'm saying this as a supporter of the EU! 'Nuff said.

I would be sceptical if Russians sold more weapons to the Serbs' enemies than the Serbs did themselves. Billions in Arab money and less so Albanian heroin money circulates through the economy and political establishment of Belgrade today thanks to an overabundant supply of weapons on the Serb side, and a need on their opponants side -- to use them to kill Serbs. And some of the 10 or so Serbian oligarchs who control up to 80% of the economy and most of the political parties were said to be involved to some extent in this trade. And the democratically-labelled parties are anything but.

Its seems that crime and government are becoming synonomous not only in the balkans but around the world.

Consider:

Its no secret that the EU bureaucrats do not consider what is in the best interests of its nation states. Indeed, it is clear that it serves the new world order of ultra-capitalism which relegates national interests as secondary to a cabal ruling elite in Brussels. This same power center in Brussels exerts extraordinary power over its own constituent nation states as well as abroad.

In the same way, the communists worshipped power and “the party” above the nation state. This is the only way that the madness of granting every “aggrieved” minority sovereignty makes sense. The fact that Germany, England and France have exploding Islamic demographics within their countries, which will one day seek similar autonomy as the Albanians in Serbia have, does not faze the eurocrats as it does the average citizen.

The fact that these same western European countries have betrayed a historical (and Christian) ally in Serbia, a nation which fought side by side with us in two world wars, a nation which suffered greater human per capita loss than all of the western European, defies all logic. Welcome to the new world order where divide and conquer is the new motto, where one group establishes totalitarian control over another. In this case, the rule of law is being run rough-shod over by an undemocratic, and unelected bureaucracy which pits itself against nation states that dare to defy the tyranny of age old imperial power run amok.

As a Canadian I reject the independence of Kosovo as I reject the partition of historical Britannia from where my ancestors originate. Canada has set a dangerous precedent in recognizing Kosovo (which the Czech president in contrition, recognized as one of his most shameful moments), and it may come back to harm us. But I am convinced that like the Eurocrats, Ottawa does not consider the long term consequences of its actions, but is on the contrary, selling out for short term political capital. They are clearly being dictated to by corporate-fascists who value “peace” at the expense of justice, just so that their markets and hence profits not adversely affected. It was cowardly of Canada to recognize Kosovo. Is it little wonder that the KLA Albanian terrorists are now seeking to dismember peaceful neighboring Macedonia, despite the fact that they have not oppressed Albanians? The bombing and attempted dismemberment of Serbia, precipitated by the western backing of a terrorist group in the KLA, shows that the world has been hijacked by a faceless elite which cares little for justice but worships at the alter of greed.

So was Milosovic on the make, Misha? Tudjman was, according to ther (UK) Independent. What about Izetbegovic?

Wow Misha, what a revelation! I bet you never thought you'd get a book out of helping the situation along by using every opportunity in the press, media and public appearances to bad mouth the Serbs. Now B92 gives you a platform to promote this..........

I wonder what God is doing while he is watching this!

Interesting article and good comments -- esp. from "tesla". Having grown up feeling good about the defeat of fascism in the 20th century, it is now very disappointing and sad to think that we are becoming what we fought so hard to defeat. The New World Order does not look promising.

Wow Misha, what a revelation! I bet you never thought you'd get a book out of helping the situation along by using every opportunity in the press, media and public appearances to bad mouth the Serbs. Now B92 gives you a platform to promote this..........

I wonder what God is doing while he is watching this!

With the EU in control, the criminals become the government

The development of the economy makes the criminals want to hide their guns and become respectable. That's all it is. Not some magical political fix.

If Serbia could develop her economy outside the EU as a tax haven, low cost manufacturing base, the same process of crime becoming invisible would occur.

So was Milosovic on the make, Misha? Tudjman was, according to ther (UK) Independent. What about Izetbegovic?

Glenny fundamentally under emphasises the influence the imposition of sanctions by the West on Yugoslavia had in strengthening organized crime throughout the balkans.

So what if there was a direct oil pipeline from Albania to Montengro etc.? No of this was news to anybody but journalist at the time.

Western use of third parties to bypass the weapons embargo, using persons such as Viktor Bout (until recently protected by the US from being put on the UN list of dangerous arms traffikers) or turning a blind eye (Iranian 747s full of arms and exploding helicopters, ex-east german army tanks, mig-21s and other arms stocks), all served to strengthen organized criminal networks, much the same way the West supported the Mujahedin in Afghanistan against the Soviets in the 1980s before they turned around and bit the hand that fed them.

An easy example of the West's complicity in criminal activities is that it turned a blind eye to Djukanovic's tobacco traffiking enterprise (once he split with Milosevic) and western tobacco companies were complicit in this, i.e. getting their products into Western Europe without paying any tax, making cigarettes easier to buy and more accessible to the next generation of consumers.

Sanctions also forced the government to depend on organized crime to subvert sanctions - who knows better about how to avoid the 'authorities' etc.?

None of this is new at all though it seems to have been a revelation to Glenny. He's a bit slow sometimes.

And of course sanctions f***ed up the rest of the Balkans, though this didn't stop Bulgaria or Romania joining the EU eventhough they totally failed to deal with corruption, independence of the judiciary etc. (under the acquis communautiare chapter on Justice & Home Affairs).

What a laugh. Serbia is being made to jump through every single hoop to even get to the thinking stage about joing the EU (pre-accession), yet the rules are discarded when it is in the EU political elite's interests, i.e. Bulgaria and Romania.

Not only that, they openly talk of just ignoring the recent Irish no vote to the Lisbon agreement.

Is this the EU based on law and justice that the Serbs want to join? The joke really is on the Serbs....

Unfortunately most journalists and media outlets seem to think that the EU is paved with gold (structural funds maybe) but it is a mess (hence the need for Lisbon) and seem unwilling to inform Serb citizens of what is actually going on in the EU and what it means to be a member. It is mass self-hypnotizm. And I'm saying this as a supporter of the EU! 'Nuff said.

I would be sceptical if Russians sold more weapons to the Serbs' enemies than the Serbs did themselves. Billions in Arab money and less so Albanian heroin money circulates through the economy and political establishment of Belgrade today thanks to an overabundant supply of weapons on the Serb side, and a need on their opponants side -- to use them to kill Serbs. And some of the 10 or so Serbian oligarchs who control up to 80% of the economy and most of the political parties were said to be involved to some extent in this trade. And the democratically-labelled parties are anything but.

Its seems that crime and government are becoming synonomous not only in the balkans but around the world.

Consider:

Its no secret that the EU bureaucrats do not consider what is in the best interests of its nation states. Indeed, it is clear that it serves the new world order of ultra-capitalism which relegates national interests as secondary to a cabal ruling elite in Brussels. This same power center in Brussels exerts extraordinary power over its own constituent nation states as well as abroad.

In the same way, the communists worshipped power and “the party” above the nation state. This is the only way that the madness of granting every “aggrieved” minority sovereignty makes sense. The fact that Germany, England and France have exploding Islamic demographics within their countries, which will one day seek similar autonomy as the Albanians in Serbia have, does not faze the eurocrats as it does the average citizen.

The fact that these same western European countries have betrayed a historical (and Christian) ally in Serbia, a nation which fought side by side with us in two world wars, a nation which suffered greater human per capita loss than all of the western European, defies all logic. Welcome to the new world order where divide and conquer is the new motto, where one group establishes totalitarian control over another. In this case, the rule of law is being run rough-shod over by an undemocratic, and unelected bureaucracy which pits itself against nation states that dare to defy the tyranny of age old imperial power run amok.

As a Canadian I reject the independence of Kosovo as I reject the partition of historical Britannia from where my ancestors originate. Canada has set a dangerous precedent in recognizing Kosovo (which the Czech president in contrition, recognized as one of his most shameful moments), and it may come back to harm us. But I am convinced that like the Eurocrats, Ottawa does not consider the long term consequences of its actions, but is on the contrary, selling out for short term political capital. They are clearly being dictated to by corporate-fascists who value “peace” at the expense of justice, just so that their markets and hence profits not adversely affected. It was cowardly of Canada to recognize Kosovo. Is it little wonder that the KLA Albanian terrorists are now seeking to dismember peaceful neighboring Macedonia, despite the fact that they have not oppressed Albanians? The bombing and attempted dismemberment of Serbia, precipitated by the western backing of a terrorist group in the KLA, shows that the world has been hijacked by a faceless elite which cares little for justice but worships at the alter of greed.

Interesting article and good comments -- esp. from "tesla". Having grown up feeling good about the defeat of fascism in the 20th century, it is now very disappointing and sad to think that we are becoming what we fought so hard to defeat. The New World Order does not look promising.