Day 17: The Journey to Sarajevo

Following our time in Kosovo and our subsequent denial by Serbian authorities to enter their country, we spent the night in Montenegro on our way back into Serbia (please look back on previous post for more details). 

We left Montenegro at 10:30 AM and had absolutely no problem entering Serbia.  They simply took our passports and annulled the stamps the Kosovar authorities had placed on our passports. This time we were entering Serbia from what Serbia considered to be an international border.  Thus, they saw our Kosovo stamp and annulled due to it being a stamp they believed was not legitimate.  However, in contrast to the previous day, they allowed us to enter their country due us coming in from a state (and an international boundary) that they fully recognize.

Although we were a day behind schedule, we finally re-entered Serbia on our way to Sarajevo.  That day our professors decided to stop at the sites we were supposed to stop in the day before.  On our way through the beautiful mountainous terrain of southern and western Serbia, we stopped in Novi Pazar and in Mokra Gora.  Novi Pazar is a small town without anything truly special.  It is interesting because it is a Serbian town with a Bosniak majority.  Mokra Gora is a town situated in the mountains of western Serbia.  It consists of wooden houses built by a Serbian film director.  It is quite bizarre and it resembles a theme park.  Primarily, this “town” is a tourist stop for people that want to see the beautiful countryside and mountain views, and see the quirkiness of the village.

When we stopped at Mokra Gora, we had already been on the road for around 8 hours.  We still needed four more hours to reach Sarajevo.  Not before long, we reached the Bosnia-Herzegovina border, which we crossed without any complications.   

Before nearing Sarajevo, we made a quick stop in Visegrad, a town in Republika Srpska (the Bosnian Serb legal entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which controls 49% of the country’s territory).  We decided to see the famous bridge (Mehmed Paša Sokolović bridge) over the river Drina, which is immortalized by Ivo Andric’s novel.  

At around 11:30 PM, we stopped at a gas station 20 km away from Sarajevo.  We were so close to reaching our destination.  It seemed as though our epic journey to Sarajevo, which had taken us from Serbia through Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia once again, was coming to an end.  However at that point Professor Sullivan made an announcement.

He could barely contain his laughter.  I couldn’t quite hear what he was saying, but I grasped that we could not continue forward because of a rockslide.  That’s right – a rockslide.  A rockslide had blocked the road, and busses were not allowed through.  At that point, the ridiculousness of the journey reached its peak, and I could only laugh at the situation.  Seeing how the main road was blocked we had only one alternative: retreating and taking a more perilous road through the hills surrounding Sarajevo, thus taking an extra hour to enter the city.  However, we took the news and the change of rout with great humor and enjoyed our final descent into the city at around 12:30 AM.  For a couple of days we had tried to reach the Bosnian capital, but had been confronted with border difficulties and illegalities, slow and winding mountainous roads, and finally a rockslide.  It seemed as though some sort of higher power did not want us to ever enter this city.  However, after a trying few days, we had finally reached our destination.  It was a moment of bliss, relief, and excitement mixed together.  Exhausted, yet jubilant over our arrival, we rested and prepared ourselves to see Sarajevo the following day.

Days 15 & 16: Kosovo and the begining of a long journey...

The last few days have been extremely hectic.  The experiences of the last days seem like a dream or a surreal experience.  We have been in three or four countries (depends who you ask) in the few days.  Although there are many tales to tell, please allow me to attempt to relate to you the story of the last couple of days in two posts.

After visiting the quaint city of Niš, we headed south towards Pristina, Kosovo.  First we stopped in a World War II Concentration Camp called Crveni Krst.  It was an extremely powerful experience.  Seeing the barb wire fences, the guard towers, the prison cells, the clothes the prisoners wore, etc. is incredibly shocking. 

This particular concentration camp was a "collection camp" used to house prisoners (Jews, Roma, Communists, Partisans, Serbs) and then send them to other labor or death camps in either the Balkans or throughout the rest of Europe.  Around 30,000 people were held in this camp from 1941 until 1944, when the camp was liberated by the Yugoslav Partisans.  I had never been in a concentration camp, so the visit made quite an impression on me.

After this morbid, yet fascinating visit, we hit the road towards Kosovo.  After a few hours, we finally hit the border between Serbia and Kosovo.  I was incredibly excited to see Kosovo.  I expected to see a war-torn area where houses and vehicles were on fire, tanks occupied the streets and poverty flooded the region.  I obviously knew that this was unrealistic, but since all I have read about Kosovo was from the 1998-1999 War, I at least expected to see a region with extreme problems and a heavy troop presence.  However, I was very wrong regarding my expectations.

When we first entered Kosovo, the first thing I could notice was the incredible amount of construction underway everywhere.  A great amount of development was taking place before my eyes.  Everywhere houses, businesses, and mosques were being built.  Either the region has received a great amount of investment to expand, or people are rebuilding communities that were destroyed in the war 12 years ago.  Finally we entered Pristina, the capital of Kosovo.  Once again, there was a tremendous amount of construction everywhere.  We passed by the statue of Bill Clinton, who is a hero in Kosovo along other policy makers like Madeline Albright (former Secretary of State) and Tony Blair.  Also, I saw posters of KFOR, the NATO mission in Kosovo, and a few UN buses.  That night, we settled in our hotel and a few of us took went to the main boulevard, Mother Teresa Street, to take a night stroll.  Along with some friends, I saw monuments of Albanian national hero's (Kosovars are ethnic Albanians), many Albanian flags, and posters of Kosovars who had lost their lives in the 1998-1999 conflict with Yugoslav (Serb) forces.

The next day, we met with an NGO named Kosovan Nansen Dialogue, which is dedicated to facilitating dialogue between Kosovars and Serbians.  For example, this NGO has one project which enables Serbs who lived in Kosovo before the war, to return, if they wish, to their homes in Kosovo.

After this meeting, I walked around Pristina for about an hour.  I walked in the main boulevard, and throughout other streets in the center.  I saw NATO KFOR troops, an EU building, and a UN compound.  An there are many buildings that are being built with US and European investment.  Obviously, there is a heavy international presence that sustains Kosovo stable economically. 

I also saw the famous "Newborn" sign that was put in place following Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in 2008.

After seeing Pristina, we stopped shortly in a field where the 1389 Battle of Kosovo took place.  This battle is incredibly significant in Balkans history.  For Serbs, this battle serves as a rallying cry as to why Kosovo is the cradle of their "civilization".  Basically, in 1389 the Ottoman Empire was moving north to conquer new lands.  They faced the Serb army led by Prince Lazar in the field of Kosovo.  The Ottomans defeated the significantly smaller Serb army, yet the Ottomans suffered a very high number of casualties.  Although the Serbs lost, it serves as a symbol of Serb resistance and struggle.  In this field there is now a tower that serves as a monument.  Unfortunately it has to protected by NATO KFOR troops because Albanian groups have threatened to burn the monument in past years.

After this short stop we drove to Mitrovica, a city in northern Kosovo.  Basically, it is a small city which is divided between Albanians and Serbs.  In the south, Albanians are the dominant ethnic group, and in fact I believe no Serbs live in this sector of the city.  The Serbs live in the north of the city.  The two ethnic groups are divided by a single bridge, which in itself serves as a symbol of the deep ethnic divides throughout the region.  In this small city there exists a heightened security presence, as I observed KFOR, EU, Italian Carabinieri and local police vehicles lined along the bridge.  On the southern portion you only see Kosovar and Albanian flags.  Upon crossing the bridge, Serbian flags flood the streets.  We spoke to a local Serb politician who told us of the difficult economic conditions his community lived in.  They had been blockaded necessities (such as water) by the southern part, and hence they received a large amount of aid from Serbia.  It was extremely interesting to see a divided city that still, 12 years after the war, had tremendous problems of coexistence and where ethnic tensions were strong and prevalent.

We left Kosovo shortly after and headed back into Serbia, where we would spend one last night before heading to Bosnia-Herzegovina.  The plan was to go to Novi Pazar in southern Serbia and then to Mokra Gora in Western Serbia, and stay in Mokra Gora for one night.  However, the plan did not go very smoothly...

When we approached the Serbian security checkpoint (not border as Serbia does not consider Kosovo to be an independent state and thus there are no international borders), we encountered a bit of a problem.  The previous day when we entered Kosovo, Kosovar customs authorities stamped our passports.  This was against our wishes, as we had told the Kosovar authorities not to stamp our passport, knowing that if we were stamped we could potentially face problems re-entering Serbia.  However, they decided to stamp their authority quite literally on our passport.  This action, by the way, is illegal.  The Serb authorities could not let us back into Serbia due to the stamp which they did not recognize, and due to the checkpoint not being a border control, they could not simply annul our stamp.  Thus they suggested two courses of action:

1) Talk to EULEX (EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo) and have them call customs committee in Serbia that will allow us to enter Serbia despite the Kosovar stamp.

2) Enter Montenegro, which recognizes Kosovo, and from Montenegro enter Serbia.  In Serbia they can then annul the Kosovo stamp due to entering from an international border crossing with customs authorities who can annul or de-legitimize the Kosovar stamps.

Our professors talked to a representative of KFOR, I believe, who informed them that the first option was virtually impossible.  Thus, we began our trek to Montenegro.  I do not remember how many hours our bus ride was, but it was an incredibly lengthy journey.  At least the landscapes were absolutely breathtaking.  We traveled on mountainous roads, which overlooked incredible views of small villages, beautiful lakes, and just overall natural beauty.  At night there was a magnificent view of the stars too.  Anyway, we finally reached Montenegro and had absolutely no problems crossing the border.  We stayed at a beautiful hotel in a town close to the Serbian-Montenegrin border.  It is by far the best hotel we have stayed at.  The next day, as highlighted by the upcoming post, was utterly incredible.  Please stay tuned to hear about the epic journey into Sarajevo.

Day 14: Niš, Serbia

 
This morning we left Belgrade and we drove off to Niš, in the south-central part of Serbia.  The drive was interesting at best, as our bus broke down 20 km from Niš.  The motor of the bus failed and we had to wait for another bus to arrive that would take us into the city.

Finally after three hours of driving and around an hour of  we reached Niš.  First, we went to an archaeological site of an ancient Roman villa.  Niš is known for having been the land where Emperor Constantine, who was the first emperor to convert to Christianity and made it legal to practice Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.  Of course, Constantine is also known for converting the Greek colony of Byzantium into the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.  The city would come to be known as Constantinople, and now is known as Istanbul.  Anyway, this complex is currently being excavated.  While the lecture on the history of the region and the role of the Roman Empire in Niš was interesting, it was disappointing to not be able to see any of the precious relics of the villa.  This was due to the fact that the relics were transferred to a museum in order to better protect them.  It was sad to hear that this archaeological site, which in my humble opinion seems incredibly important (as it deals with the birth city of one of the most famous Roman Emperors), is not funded by UNESCO or the EU, and does not receive too much money from the Serbian government.  This is a shame, as such sites should be protected and funded, as they then enrich the culture and history of the country and therefore attract more tourists.

After this visit, we went to a church which houses a block of human skulls.  It sounds incredibly bizarre, and in reality, it is.  When you walk into the church you see a 5 meter x 5 meter block full of human skulls.  The story behind it is that in the latter half of the 19th century, Serbs fought the Ottomans and were greatly outnumbered.  Although the Ottomans lost a great amount more of troops than the Serbs, they chose to grossly display their military might by placing the skulls of the fallen Serbs on a wall.  It is an extremely morbid site, but it is fascinating nevertheless.

I later took a walk through the city, strolling through a Turkish fort, and a pedestrian walkway full of cafes. 

On a curious note, we had a coffee at a communist themed cafe named "Broz Club" (after the Yugoslav leader).  Cardboard cut-outs of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Mao Zedong, Muammar Qaddafi and Josip Broz Tito adorned the outside terrace.

Anyway, today was a very tiring day.  I am extremely excited to visit Pristina, Kosovo tomorrow.  Hope to tell you some more tales from my journey soon!

Days 8-13: Last Days in Belgrade

During the last few days, I have done a lot of different activities concerning lectures and cultural visits.  Last Wednesday, apart from attending the Partisan match I mentioned in a previous post, our group went to visit an NGO specialized in security.  The Belgrade Center for Security Policy was established in 1997 and seeks to reform the security environment in order to develop more accountability and transparency.  They spoke about many topics such as their relationship with the Serbian security apparatus, their relations with other regional security-minded NGO's, Kosovo, and NATO.  They claimed that the Serbian security community is littered with corruption and there is a systematic lack of responsibility in the political elite.  With regards to Kosovo and NATO, the speakers stated that there would be a great amount of instability if NATO KFOR troops left, as they are the only forces protecting Serb enclaves.

The next day we visited a Serbian Orthodox priest.  He spoke about the relations between religion and state.  He claimed that the Orthodox Church, the predominant religion in Serbia, has no great influence in politics.  The priest also spoke about interfaith dialogue with his counterparts in Bosnia and Croatia.  On Kosovo, he stated that Kosovo is the cradle of the Serbian nation and that the most significant monasteries are located in Kosovo.  He reinforced that without NATO military protection, many of these monasteries could be destroyed.  I asked him about the church's role in the war.  He spoke about how there were elements of a religious war, but the war was not motivated by religion.  A main point he made was that during the war only churches maintained dialogue between each other.  All in all, I thought that this visit was mediocre.  While the priest seemed very kind and intelligent, he also did not fully answer many questions or sought to give very simplified responses.  However, I did appreciate that this particular priest was quite humble (lived in a small cottage despite being a TV personality) and welcoming (presented us with a Serbian plum liquor and Turkish coffee).

That night, we went with Professor Sullivan on a boat on the Danube and Save rivers.  It was an interesting experience as they played extremely loud 80's Serbian music while the 60 year old Captain of the ship sang over the lyrics, performing a sort of one-man karaoke.  Nevertheless, the views of Kalemagden (Belgrade Fortress) lighten up, and the Danube and Save were beautiful.  Later that night, a group of us ventured to Freestyler, one of Belgrade's poshest and most famous night clubs.  The techno music, lights, and atmosphere were incredible.  Despite the elevated price, I recommend this club to anyone who casually visits Belgrade and wants to enjoy a great night out.

The next day we visited one NGO, Veritas, which is dedicated to research on war crimes committed in the Former Yugoslavia.  They have collaborated extensively with The Hague tribunals.  For example, they cooperated with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the conviction of two top Croatian generals who committed ethnic cleansing of Serbs and which saw former Croat President Franjo Tudjman connected to war crimes committed on the military frontier between Croatia and Bosnian Serbs.  Of course though, Tudjman was not convicted because he died before this trial.  The leader of the NGO, a former judge, spoke also about the momentous ICJ dispute between Croatia and Serbia based on genocide and aggression.  How the trial (or possible out of court settlement) will be fascinating to follow.

That same afternoon, we had a discussion with a member of the Democratic Party of Serbia, a center-right political group.  Mainly it was a pro-EU, anti-NATO, and pro-Serbian Kosovo (as are most parties in Serbia) party.  I found the speaker to be remarkably intelligent, fair, and academic.  Although I did not agree with many of his party's policies, such as slow (or "evolutive" as he called it) reform or the strong anti-NATO stance, I respected his point of view for he presented very valid arguments.  Regarding his party's priorities, he stated that keeping Kosovo as part of Serbia is the number one goal that cannot be compromised upon.  EU membership is their second goal, yet they will choose to opt out of Europe if they have to give up Kosovo.  He stated that negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia, as has been done by the current administration of the rival Democratic Party, on issues such as custom laws, etc.  are acts of "national betrayal".  This is mainly due to the fact that negotiating on such issues gives a certain legitimacy and evolving status of independence to the separatist Kosovars.  Currently, Kosovo is recognized by 76 states (most prominently the US).  I have recently wondered why the US has such a vested interest in Kosovo.  He believed that it was due to establishing a military presence in a geo-strategic region.  I still have not reached any conclusion of my own, but I will speak more about the issue later this week when I actually go to Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. 

On Saturday, we went to Tito's grave.  Josip Broz Tito was the leader of the Yugoslav Partisans during WWII who later came to lead the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until his death in 1980.  As I have stated in a previous blog post, his rule has been extremely controversial.  He never visited the largest concentration camp of Serb victims, he weakened the Serbs institutionally by making Vojvodina and Kosovo autonomous provinces, and he often crushed any signs of ethnic tension.  However, he managed to keep six republics and different ethnic groups together for around 40 years.  Also he was bold in that he broke away from Stalin's USSR early on (1948 - first Soviet satellite to do so) and he led the non-aligned movement along with Nasser and Nehru. 

After he died, the entire system he had created disintegrated, leading the region into a devastating decade of brutal conflict.  His grave was a large marble casing with his name inscribed.  The museum was less impressive, as only one room regarding his fashion choices was open.  Nevertheless the exhibit was rather nice, as it showed a connection and contradiction between his choice of clothes and the economic realities of the state.  Mainly, he had very expensive taste, yet led a communist state.  Once it is fully reformed and developed it has a chance of being a very impressive historical museum.

Yesterday, I was able to see the sunset at Kalemagden with a few friends.  It was a very beautiful site, as the sun drew down over the Sava and Danube rivers. 

 
After, we went to a great dinner in the Bohemian district of Belgrade.  This area is known for its traditional food, its cobblestone streets, and the traditional Serbian music that is played.  It was a very adequate way of bidding farewell to Belgrade.

Today I simply worked on a history paper and I visited three cemeteries with a group of students and Mladen.  We saw many Yugoslav, Partisan, and Serbian leaders buried in these grounds.  One of the most significant tombs was that of the late Serb President, Zoran Djindjic, who was assassinated in 2003.

The experience in Belgrade has been exceptional.  I enjoyed learning about the rich history of the city.  However, now I am looking forward to the next few weeks on the road.  Tomorrow we head off to Nis, the third largest city in Serbia after Belgrade and Novi Sad.  Following that one day visit we will depart towards Pristina, Kosovo.

Till the next time!

Day 8: Partizan Football Match

Yesterday was perhaps one of the best learning experiences of the trip thus far.  A group of us went to see Partizan, one of Serbia'a most important football teams.  They were playing their Champions League Qualifying match against Skendija, an Albanian team who plays in the Macedonian League.  As you may know, Serbs and Albanians have a very hostile relationship due to the issue of Kosovo.  Kosovo is populated by a majority of ethnic Albanians who claim independence.  Thus, tensions are very, very high.

We arrived near the stadium and saw waves of men with black and white shirts and flags with the Partizan crest.  It was quite the scene, as you could tell you were inching closer and closer to the stadium, as the noise levels would increase with every step.  After buying tickets, we entered the stadium.  The Stadion FK Partizan, the club's stadium, is not very impressive.  It was built in 1949, and one can tell that it a communist style architecture.  A very simplistic and gray style covers the inner and outer walls.  Inside is a different story.  The relatively small stadium (32,000 people) is a cauldron.  Fans are shouting at the top of their lungs and singing in unison their favorite chants.  Serbian flags flood the stands.  It was really an amazing sight to see.

Finally the game began.  Early in the first half, the Albanian team had the chance to score a penalty.  As the player put the ball on the ground and prepared himself to strike, the crowds, or mobs of people, began shouting extremely racist and horrifying chants.  The stadium felt like a boiling pot about to explode.  The player, facing an incredible amount of pressure, missed the spot kick.  After that the crowds began to unleash many anti-Albanian chants.  Throughout the game, I also heard chants praising Ratko Mladic, the war criminal who is now detained in The Hague.  There were many chants for Kosovo as well, claiming the territory as Serbian and saying that they will never give it up.  These chants I believe are fine, but when you start viciously insulting an entire nation with extreme hatred, you have crossed the line.


Fanatics, of course, are everywhere.  My team Real Madrid has psychotic fans who act with extreme stupidity at times.  Italian, German, and English fans are also known to be very rowdy and provocative.  The difference is that when German fans, for example, sing racist chants, the team faces heavy fines and a possible shut down of the stadium.  And, the culprits face fines and possibly imprisonment.  Thus, while insane hooliganism exists everywhere, there are penalties in most Western European leagues.  Partizan fans sang their chants without much fear of being punished.


The Partizan game does not represent regular Serbian society.  Many people may agree with some of the political themes (Kosovo, Mladic), but at least are more respectful towards other nations.  The Partizan ultras represent the far right and extremist sector of society.  However, it is frightening that people think with such incredible hatred.  I was extremely shocked to say the least.  I understand that deep rooted ethnic problems still exist, and the people of the region have been in war recently, but they also want to show that they are modern.  And many want to enter the EU.  From what I saw yesterday, I would conclude that Serbia is not ready to enter the EU and their society has open wounds that have yet to heal.  And many, it seems, prefer to not heal such wounds, as hate is all they know.  Thankfully, Serbian society is not characterized by football hooligans.  There are extremely intelligent and progressive people in society that will do everything they can to improve their country and move towards a better future characterized by mutual respect and understanding.


Oh, and the score was Partizan 4 - Skendija 0.  The Serbian side had an amazing second half where everything seemed to go well.  Of course, as seen by my previous rant, the story of the match was not on the field.


If you are interested in the topic of sports and its relationship to society and politics, you absolutely should read Franklin Foer's How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikey Theory of Globalization.  It is a rather exceptional book.

Days 4-7: Novi Sad, War Crimes Prosecutor, Parliament and CANVAS

On Saturday we spent the day in Novi Sad, in the north of Serbia.  Novi Sad is in the province of Vojvodina.  Serbia is divided into three provinces: Vojvodina in the north, Central Serbia, and Kosovo in the south (disputed).  Vojvodina is a very interesting region, as it is known for its multi-ethnicity (Serbs, Croats, Hungarians, Slovaks, etc.).  On the way to Novi Sad, we stopped at the former seat of the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchy, and at a church that remarkably has a Christian cross and the Muslim crescent together.  According to our tour guide, it is the only church with such a symbol.  Of course, historically this region saw a lot of conflict and interaction between empires of different faiths: such as the Ottomans and the Austro-Hungarians.  Nevertheless, it was fascinating to see such a multi-religious symbol.

Novi Sad, the capital of Vojvodina, is a really charming city.  An old church towers the skyline and pedestrian boulevards are prevalent in the city center. 

The city is situated on the Danube river.  Novi Sad has a "beach" on the river: one that I fully took advantage of due to the extreme heat that has hit Serbia in the last week.  Internationally, Novi Sad is known for the Exit Festival which just ended.  This festival brings in thousands of tourists to Serbia every year that flock to see the impressive line ups of pop, techno, and alternative artists.

On Monday, we visited the Republic of Serbia's Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor.  The lecture we were given was fascinating!  It really was the best academic experience I have had thus far in Serbia.  The representative of the War Crimes Prosecutor's office gave us a frank, open, and informative discussion on the difficult work of his office.  Mainly he focused on the history of war criminals in Serbia and the political and judicial difficulties of investigating, arresting, and possibly extraditing prominent war criminals.  It is important to note that the work of war crimes prosecution is considerably linked to democratic progress and future Serbian membership in the EU.  Very recently, Ratko Mladic, the former General of the Yugoslav People's Army who is accused of genocide and ethnic cleansing that took place in Srebrenica and during the siege of Sarajevo, was arrested and extradited to The Hague to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

In the end, the speaker proved to be really objective and could see the larger scope of the Balkan problems.  He, a Serb, could recognize that war criminals, although Serbian, have to be brought to justice.  He commented on the public opinion in Serbia being very low in terms of the support for prosecuting war criminals.  I learned that the situation in Serbia is extremely complex regarding its past.  Ordinary people do not want to admit that people of their nationality committed horrendous crimes, and that their country was the main culprit for many of the tragedies that shocked the consciousness of the world during the 1990's.  However, the work of this office must go on for the good of Serbia, the region, and the international community.  I walked out extremely satisfied from the lecture, as I saw that serious, thoughtful, methodical, and passionate people were working hard on these extremely sensitive issues.

Today we had two key events.  First, we visited the Serbian Parliament and met with two Members of Parliament from the Serbian Democratic Party, the part of the current Serbian President Boris Tadic.  Firstly, the parliament building is absolutely beautiful inside.  Great marble columns, impressive long wooden tables, and ornate designs are found throughout the corridors and rooms of this building.  It was interesting to hear about the symbols of the statues found in the Parliament.  Statues of historic Croat and Slovene leaders, and symbols from the Yugoslav era are found, such a plaque of the first Non-Aligned Movement conference, which was chaired by Tito.  This is rather strange due to the conflicts that defined the region during the 1990s.

The meeting with the two MP's was really informative, as they talked about everything such election laws, Kosovo and EU membership.  However, their rhetoric reminded me of such dialogues found in the political system in Spain.  They would brand the opposition as people not able to lead, and that their party could enact the real reforms needed.  A main problem in Serbia is unemployment and a stagnant economy, which at first they said could be resolved by foreign direct investment and modernizing the economy.  These were rather simplistic solutions, so I finally pressured them to give me specifics of their economic program.  I was more impressed with their answers, as they provided me with a more substantive answer than I had expected.  In the end, these two intelligent and young MP's gave a somewhat hopeful face to Serbian national politics.

Later in the afternoon we met with an NGO called the Centre for Applied Non-Violent Action and Strategies (CANVAS).   They were originally called OTPOR and were a critical non-violent movement that led to the ouster of Slobadan Milosevic in 2000.  They have now morphed into an organization that gives advice on how to conduct non-violent movements to other organizations/movements.  Mainly they conduct workshops on strategic non-violence, how to overcome the barrier of fear, using media, etc.  Basically they can provide the tools for change movements that wish to achieve political or social change, but they claim that revolutions cannot be exported and no such thing such as a "copy-paste" method exists.  It is rather fascinating that they use their positive experience in the toppling of Milosevic to share with others who have similar political situations in their own countries.

As you all can see, the last few days have been really busy.  However, they have been extremely interesting and I hope that every day will be like the ones I have described.  Anyway, till the next time!

Day 2 & 3: Zoran Djindjic and a Very, Very Long Walk

Yesterday, our group had a lecture with Mladen to start off the day.  He mainly spoke about WWI and WWII and the development of the countries in the Balkans at that point in history.  During this time the Balkans were the source of a major war with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914.  The history of this region is extremely complicated - even our Serbian teaching assistant says so.  Basically, the two major powers of the region - Serbia and Croatia - have been feuding and vying for regional power with each other.  At the time of WWI, Serbia wanted to unite all the countries in order to be strong against their enemies.  Croatia reluctantly agreed, as many political groups within the country believed strongly in their right of being an independent, sovereign, and fully autonomous nation.  Thus, the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which later became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia occurred.  However, WWII saw the Ustasha, Croatia's fascist wing, come to power and let the Nazis march into Zagreb.  The Serbs resisted the Nazis and many Serbs within Croatia were exterminated in a major genocide that unfortunately is not well known about in the West - hundreds of thousands were killed (the exact number differs by source).  WWII saw a political battle over the future of the country and ultimately a young communist named Josip Broz Tito gained political and military prominence.  More on him soon...

Besides the lecture, yesterday we also visited an NGO called the Zoran Djindjic Foundation.  It is named after the former Prime Minister of Serbia who was assassinated in 2003.  He was the first democratically elected Prime Minister after the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.  Djindjic was critical in reforming the country and extraditing war criminals indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.  He was key in extraditing Milosevic to The Hague, even though this was seen as very controversial at the time.  Djindjic faced a great deal of opposition for his extraditions and his cooperation with the international tribunal, but ultimately his actions were extremely significant as he moved Serbia past the dark period of the 1990s and pushed the country into modernizing and a member of the EU.  Unfortunately, organized crime and members of his own cabinet seriously disagreed with his views, and thus shot him from a rooftop in Belgrade on March 12, 2003.

Besides the academics, today we had a free day and thus I went for a walk through the city.  First I walked to the major Orthodox Church in Belgrade, the Cathedral of Saint Sava.  Saint Sava is the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church. 

Then, I went to the Kalemegdan, or the Belgrade Fortress.  It is a beautiful fortress and park which overlooks the Sava and the Danube rivers.

I then walked through a modern, shopping district which is all pedestrianized.  After this, I went to Republic Square, where the National Museum is located.

I then walked for kilometers and got extremely lost.  However I did get an opportunity to see parts outside of downtown Belgrade.  Ultimately, downtown is very cosmopolitan and modern.  Once you walk outside of the immediate center, however, the architecture is communist and extremely deteriorated.  The buildings are run down and the area looks a lot poorer.  The contrasts within the city are incredible to see.

And an anecdote - yesterday a group of us went to an amazing party on a boat.  The party was for the celebration of Miss Serbia 2011! It was an incredible time - red carpet, techno music, lights, open bar, and the most beautiful women of Serbia.  Here I am with Miss Serbia 2011.

Tomorrow morning we will go to Novi Sad, a city north of Belgrade.  I look forward to sharing the experience there with you - but until then, cheers!

Day 1: A Walk through Belgrade and the Military Museum

Today was my first full day on the Dialogue.  Everyone has been here for a few days already, but I arrived in Serbia a bit later.  So, first we had a lecture by Mladen, our Teaching Assistant, on Balkan history from around the 10th century to the 19th century.  We focused on the issue of nationalism and how different ethnic groups have developed and settled to different parts of the Balkans.  In the end, my immediate conclusion is that this issue is extremely complicated and that many of these ethnic groups have deep rooted historical issues pertaining to language, land, religion, etc.  Mainly though, while religion does play an important aspect of life and identity for people of the region, identity is mainly seen through the prism of nationalism.  People are Serbs, Croats, or Bosnians.  Although each ethnic group does correlate with a religion (Catholicism, Orthodox, Islam), it is acceptable to be a Serb and Muslim, for example.  In the end, as in any region, people use whatever is convenient (historical events, religious fervor, language) to communicate to the masses, mobilize people, and obtain power.  And historically, as I have seen, the Balkans has been attacked and controlled by foreign powers.  For centuries, situated between the Austrian-Hungarian empire and the Ottoman empire, the countries and peoples of the region were subject to occupations, migrations, conversions, etc.  Anyway, my impressions are very basic and perhaps not accurate due to my brief exposure in the region.  However, this is what I obtained from the lecture today.

After the lecture we took a walk through Belgrade on our way to the Military Museum.  It is absolutely fascinating to see the contrast of architecture throughout the city.  One can definitely notice the communist past, as many buildings are gray, structured blocks, that ultimately look very depressing.  However, one can also see the modernization that is currently taking place in Serbia, as many commercial buildings are glass structures of more creative architectural design.  For example, today we walked through a large, pedestrian boulevard that could be mistaken for a street in the shopping district in Madrid. 

And of course, there are beautiful churches and monuments throughout the city. 

The military museum was extremely interesting as well.  Uniforms, weapons, and war memorabilia from centuries ago flood the rooms of the museum.  The maps of the battles and the troop movements were one of the highlights.  However, I thought that the best part of the museum was the modern section (WWI and WWII).  There were many pictures of Josip Broz Tito, the leader of Yugoslavia for over four decades, during WWII.  I have posted a picture of his statue here.  Apparently, his legacy is controversial in the region.  Many see him as a hero and as an exemplary leader, but others see him as a tyrant.  Certainly, setting aside ideology, he was a brilliant politician as he succeeded in stabilizing six Yugoslav republics for decades through his policy of "Brotherhood and Unity".  This policy consisted of setting aside ethnic divisions and standing united as Yugoslavia.  He carried this out by crushing any ethnic tensions or dissent.

After the museum visit, we went to lunch at a very nice restaurant called "?".  The name of this restaurant is an interesting story.  Apparently, the owner wanted to call the restaurant the name of the church that is across the street, but the church was against a restaurant having the same name.  Thus, the owner in protest temporarily put the "?" as the name until a better name emerged.  And, over time the name stuck. 

I also saw the former Yugoslav Defense Ministry that was destroyed by NATO bombing in 1999.  It has remained in rubble until this day.  My theory is that it is meant to be a symbol of NATO/Western aggression.  However I have not had this confirmed.

Besides the activities today, hanging out with the group has been great.  The people are really friendly and I know that traveling extensively throughout the region will be fun.

So far, the trip has been awesome and I look forward to further exploration of Belgrade later this week.  And of course, I look forward to telling you the interesting tidbits of my visits and lectures.

Cheers!