Mladen and our professors informed us on Tuesday that we would be meeting the foreign policy adviser to the President of Croatia, Ivo Josipović. I was extremely excited to meet such a high-level figure that has an exceptional level of influence in directing a country's policies.
On Wednesday morning, we took six taxis from our hotel in Novi Zagreb (New Zagreb) to the Presidential Palace in the neighborhood of Pantovčak. At the entrance of the massive compound, we were met with three vans that transported us to the entrance of the meeting rooms where we would hold our discussion.
Once we all passed security and met the foreign policy adviser, he took us into a room usually designated for official state visits. It was an elegant room with three large windows that allowed a great amount of light to enter. At the front end of the room stood the Croatian flag, which indicates where the President usually sits. After gazing around and once we were all seated, we were treated to coffee and water. Our discussion then began. He started talking about the actual palace, which was built in 1960 for Marshall Tito. However, he stated that since Croatia became independent in 1991, the palace went through considerable reforms in order to portray itself as modern. He spoke about such small matters like paintings. The paintings in the room were rather old, which was meant to give the room a balance between modern and traditional. The entire palace was decorated in this manner. We later visited another room where diplomats are sworn in. That room had a piano, which the President sometimes plays, many modern paintings, and beautiful, ornately decorated tables and chairs. All in all, I was extremely impressed by the palace as it was quite elegant, yet nor ostentatious.
The discussion itself was very productive and thought provoking. The speaker began by looking back at history. The countries of the former Yugoslavia are usually seen as destructive states that are in constant conflict with one another. However, as he pointed out, this is the history of Europe as a whole. Although Europe is usually seen as a progressive society that is the beacon of civil liberties and democracy, Europe is also the place where revolutions, civil wars, secession movements, occupation and genocide. Nevertheless, he admitted that the countries of the former Yugoslavia went through incredible devastation and tragedy in the 1990's. He then claimed that the Balkans are undergoing a "golden age" characterized by free markets, civil liberties, freedom of movement, democracy and progressive politics. He then began to speak about the difficulty of transitioning to democracy and building a modern state.
He told us the story of his grandmother, who was born in 1923 near Zagreb, Croatia, and without moving, she was the citizen of 4 states. She was born into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia), the "Individual State of Croatia" led by the Ustashe and occupied by the Nazis, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia led by Marshall Tito, and the current independent state of the Republic of Croatia. Thus, he concluded that people have learned not to trust the state. Ordinary people have the impression that the state betrays them and thus people need to be convinced to trust the state.
The foreign policy adviser then outlined the five transitions that Croatia is undergoing (economic, policial, statehood, identity, and from war to peace. He stressed the difficulty in building sustainable and efficient institutions, increasing the trust in the state, creating a national identity, and dealing with past. He outlined the dilemma of being proud of your country and creating strong nationalist sentiments, while wanting to enter the EU, which is designed to prevent ultra-nationalism. He stated his support for entering in the EU in a very pragmatic fashion. He didn't claim that the EU would solve all problems, but he recognized that accession into the EU (slated for 2013) would increase the level of personal freedom (movement), bring in more investment and EU funds, and bring more normalcy to a troubled region.
His pragmatism reached a comedic pitch when he told us a quote from an EU representative who stated that Croatia is "joining the party at 3 AM, and that it is no longer fun, but a mess". However, he acknowledged that if they don't join the EU, the alternatives are worse not only for Croatia, but for the region.
He spoke of other topics such as Croatian-American relations, Croatian-Serbian relations, and the messy politics of Bosnia-Herzegovina. His remarks on these difficult topics proved to be quite optimistic. It was quite refreshing to hear such positive remarks and it was remarkable to listen to someone who had a vision for his country and the region. More than anything, it was great to hear from someone who knew their history well, was well educated, and rather unbiased.
He later took us around the Presidential complex, which is full of gardens and even animals. We then said farewell and departed for our next meeting. On the spot, I concluded that this was probably the best visit and lecture we had had.
Our next meeting was in downtown Zagreb. We spoke to a representative of a language and culture institute. Mainly the speaker talked about the politics and history of the Croatian language. He spoke of the multiple foreign influences in Croatian - from Italians, Austrians, etc. Croatian, Bosnia, and Serbian are quite similar - if not the same. However, he pointed to notable differences in the languages which serve to emphasize the differences in culture and in nations. Yet, he stated that these differences don't close in and alienate the nations; they simply emphasize their unique status as separate nations and ethnic groups.
The two visits were extremely interesting. Although the second was really different than any other (due to its topic), I was really struck by the first meeting at the Presidential Palace. It is these types of experiences that motivate me to continue on my path and pursue a career in international diplomacy and politics.
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