Unfinished Business

While other countries look forward to the coming of spring, that particular season in this particular part of the world brings nothing good, at least judging by the events of recent history. Wars in Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia – they all either erupted or escalated in springtime.

It fear that the latest unpleasantness in Kosovska Mitrovica fits that sad historical pattern.

Five years earlier came one of those springtime escalations – the one that chase Milosevic's thugs out of Kosovo and was supposed to start process resulting with new, democratic, pro-Western or at least "reformed nationalist" governments in all former Yugoslav states or "entities". They are all dedicated to opening new pages in their national histories, rejecting their past and re-embracing their neighbours in the spirit of tolerance, co-operation and joint future in united Europe.

Of course, when people in Bosnia use their newly discovered democratic rights to bring back to power the very people that led them to slaughter, when people in Croatia elect followers of Franjo Tudjman, when "democrats" in Serbia have to make coalition with followers of Slobodan Milošević (Slobodan Milosevic) and when the plane carrying president of Macedonia goes down in circumstances that would inspire script for at least few Oliver Stone's movies, Western media (and bloggers) don't seem to notice.

I admit that some other issues, like the Madrid atrocity or the latest bombing in Baghdad are more important. But complete lack of concern for this part of world would gradually and inevitably make things much worse before they get better.

On a related note, even Slovenians don't seem to escape the springtime curse that plagued their southern neighbours and former federal partners, at least judging by this escalation of violence.