September 22, 2005
Theater of the Absurd
http://antiwar.com/malic/
by Nebojsa Malic
The Bizarre Balkans Stage
It is arguably the Bard's most famous play; there is hardly a civilized soul
on Earth who has not heard of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. It
has been modernized, localized, deconstructed, filmed countless times, and
even translated into Klingon. Now, however, courtesy of Sarajevo director
Haris Pasovic, Hamlet has become a prince of – Turkey?!
"To be or not to be is still the question, but in a new Bosnian staging of
Hamlet things have changed for Shakespeare's prince. His uncle Claudius is a
sultan, his god is Allah, the churches are mosques and Elsinore is part of
the Ottoman empire," writes Paul Arendt in The Guardian.
Pasovic claims his Hamlet attempts to contemplate the universal issues from
a Muslim perspective. But he did not re-imagine Hamlet, or even truly adapt
it: he merely coated the original with Islamic veneer. Though their garb is
Ottoman and their speech "Bosnian" – a politically motivated product of
Muslim leaders' desire for linguistic distinction – characters keep their
original names. If anything, the play resembles the way modern Bosnian
Muslim ("Bosniak") identity has been constructed by politicians: steeped in
the Ottoman history, but claiming the symbols of the medieval Christian
heritage that the Ottomans had destroyed.
Absurdities of this kind abound in the ruins of Yugoslavia, where
dysfunctional is the norm, force is the law, and everything is about power.
Democratic Defiance
The officially declared goal of the Empire is to promote "democracy"
throughout the world. But, even assuming democracy was a positive good (and
that is bitterly contested), how does one define it? Last Thursday's vote by
the Bosnian Serb parliament to reject the EU proposal for police "reform"
with an overwhelming majority would certainly qualify as democratic. But of
course, in Bosnia, the only definitions that really count are those of the
Imperial viceroy – and he was not at all pleased.
Crafted by the EU as a prerequisite for membership, the "reform" envisioned
central government control of the police, which would operate in
jurisdictions deliberately ignoring the boundaries of Bosnia's two
constituent entities. Its ultimate purpose had nothing to do with policing,
or even Bosnia joining the EU, but everything to do with the agenda of
creating a centralized Bosnian state.
A long string of "reforms" under international viceroys has repeatedly
violated the Dayton Constitution since 1996, each and every one resulting in
a stronger central government at the expense of the Serb Republic and the
Muslim-Croat Federation. Contrary to what champions of centralization such
as the ICG claim, only the Muslim community favors centralization. Both
Croats and Serbs have been repeatedly browbeaten into accepting the creeping
usurpation of their rights, and they continue to express their resentment.
Always given to melodrama, viceroy Ashdown said that the Serb Assembly "was
given the keys to the gates to Europe, but threw them away." That is pure
horse-hockey. Setting aside for a moment the fact that the EU itself is
deeply conflicted about its own existence, why the focus on the Serb vote
and no mention whatsoever of the vote in the Muslim-Croat parliament? Has
such a vote even happened? If so, what was its outcome? While the Muslim
leadership's position is known, as is their agenda to dominate the central
government with their relative majority, it is hard to imagine the Croats –
already feeling marginalized in the Federation – accepting such a proposal
without reservations. Yet all the fingers of blame point at the Serbs – who
had a debate, held a vote, and said "no." And they had every right to do so.
Or did they? In the twilight zone that is Bosnia today, rights are whatever
the viceroy decides they should be. Elected officials can be dismissed and
banned from all public life at his whim. Elections are subject to ethnic and
gender quotas. The constitution has been amended to the point where most of
its body opposes the original document. All this is a result of constant
bullying by a string of viceroys, backed by the iron fist of NATO and now EU
"peacekeepers." Obedience to their diktat is the only thing considered
legitimate by Bosnia's Imperial overlords. Resisting their will – whether by
force, or through the democratic process, it does not matter – invites harsh
punishment.
Will the Bosnian Serbs find the strength and courage to defend what is left
of their autonomy, or will they yet again knuckle under and accept Imperial
impositions? Whatever happens, one thing is clear: the Empire cares not a
whit about "democracy."
A Most Peculiar Bombing
In neighboring Croatia, the question of joining the EU got a bizarre twist
on Monday, when a letter-bomb exploded at the UK embassy in Zagreb, injuring
one local staffer. The government quickly condemned the "act of terrorism"
and promised a quick investigation.
With London heading the EU at the moment, and British intelligence operating
in Croatia in search of General Ante Gotovina – charged with war crimes by
the Hague Inquisition – as well as "fighting organized crime" (Reuters), the
bomb unnerved the government, firmly committed to becoming a subject of
Brussels.
Reuters quoted Prime Minister Sanader as saying, "I cannot help but think
this act is directed against Croatia's efforts to join the EU." AP quoted
him as pointing a finger at "people home and abroad who wish to slow down
Croatia's integration."
By Tuesday afternoon, however, the Croatian police had arrested the sole
victim, who reportedly confessed to the bombing. He appears to be an ethnic
Croat with a criminal record, and his motives were unknown. Far from
resolving the case, the arrest leaves open a host of questions. Why did the
staffer detonate a bomb, injuring himself in the process? Why did the
government immediately point a finger at "enemies at home and abroad," and
who might these enemies be? Those who know aren't telling.
Accusing the Vatican
Whatever the motives behind the Zagreb embassy bombing (such as it was),
everything comes back to the indictment of Ante Gotovina by the Hague
Inquisition. Gotovina is accused of command responsibility for the murder
and expulsion of Serbs who refused to recognize Croatian rule during a
lighting offensive in 1995, which is celebrated in Croatia as the definitive
victory in the "Homeland War."
The chief prosecutor of the Inquisition, Carla Del Ponte, has mercilessly
hounded the Zagreb authorities to find and extradite Gotovina. Croatia's EU
bid has been largely dependent on whether Del Ponte "felt" that Zagreb was
doing enough on the issue. Somehow, it never did.
But Del Ponte's delusions of grandeur – which at moments appeared to be
outright madness – may have finally pushed her past the edge of sanity.
Bullying Balkans leaders eager to serve the Empire is one thing; taking aim
at the Catholic Church is something else altogether.
On Tuesday, Del Ponte told the Daily Telegraph that she "had information"
Gotovina was sheltered by Franciscan monks, and that the Vatican authorities
rebuffed her requests for help.
"They said they have no intelligence, and I don't believe that," Del Ponte
said. "The Vatican refuses totally to cooperate with us."
>From the interview, however, it becomes obvious that the High Inquisitor did
not so much ask as demand that Vatican "cooperate," something that surely
irritated the papal authorities to no end. Del Ponte complained that she
even wrote to the Pope directly, but that "several weeks later, she has
received no reply."
Del Ponte's spokeswoman, Florence Hartmann, told the BBC that "the law
applies to everyone, including the Vatican." Pointing out that Del Ponte has
repeatedly accused the Orthodox Church of sheltering Serb suspects (though
not mentioning that such accusations were never substantiated), she quipped:
"We're fully ecumenical."
Somehow it is hard to believe that Benedict XVI, once nicknamed "Der
Panzerkardinal," will find Hartmann's wit particularly funny.
Accepting the Absurd
Between the local obsession with the political and the Imperial obsession
with power, the Balkans is center stage for tragedy, comedy, and farce all
intermingled in one colossal cacophony, devoid of sense and purpose. What
once was Yugoslavia is now a place where what is considered outlandish,
bizarre, and outrageous today may turn out to be commonly accepted tomorrow.
Its inhabitants, eking out a living between the constant pilfering and
promises by those in power, have long since been indoctrinated to accept
this absurd state of affairs as the norm. As long as that acceptance
continues, so will the torment that, for all its apparent folly, is anything
but theatrical.
Serbian News Network - SNN
[email protected]
http://www.antic.org/
