New Topic: The Butcher of the Balkans

Slobodan Milosevic. Late President of the now defuct Yugoslavia. Most people would inquire as to his importance in the history of world events. People would say he's just another dictator in a country far far away and can only be seen on cnn or bbc or the newspapers. Opinions about him vary, from the vantage point of most individuals in the west he is a butcher, in the disintegration of Yugoslavia, he waged three bloody wars of ethnic cleansing, his paramilitary units reportedly killed thousands in raids on small villages, his armies shelled small towns and reduced it to rubble. The acts said to have been perpetrated by the serbian army included genocide in its various forms including rape and impregnation to ensure that the line of their victims are no longer pure but rather infused with serbian blood, kipnappings and executions, and other depredations not seen since the second world war. It took 78 days of bombing from NATO to convince him to stop. Long after the last shots were fired, mass graves were still being found and survivors still had nightmares about the rule of The Butcher of the Balkans.

As the perspective shifts from west to east the perception changes. For some Serbians Milosevic was a hero, a patriot, a leader and a father of a nation. Many went to his funeral amidst the screams and curses of anti-Milosevic citizens, they journey from their small country towns and big cities to witness the burial of their leader under the tree where he first kissed his wife. For some, he pas persecuted for trying to preserve what was Yugoslavia and did only what was best for the Serbian people. Until today, members of Milosevic's inner circle have yet to be arrested and brought to the Hague for prosecution. Some say they are being hidden by the people, trasferring from home to home, from farmhouse to farmhouse being fed a supported by believers in Milosevic's cause.

Why was Slobadan Milosevic so important? It could be because he espoused ultranationalist ideals which burned not only within himself but in many of his coutrymen. It could also be because the war in the balkans was one of the largest post war conflicts as of late. or maybe because the ethnic cleansing performed during the disintegration of Yugoslavia set the stage for so many other similar conflicts around the world, from Rwanda to Chechnya wars for freedom, wars for revenge. A former US Attorney general who is currently on Saddam Hussein's defense team said: "History will prove that Slobodan was right", this was followed by wild applause from the gathered crowd. Whether or not he did the right thig, history may prove his cause just or he may forever remain the Butcher of the Balkans for all eternity but one thing is certain: To the survivors he will always be a monster.