Woodrow Wilson Center on Croatia May 12

"anthony margan" oretitan@hotmail.com  writes:
To all:

An upcoming lecture/forum discussion at the Woodrow Wilson Institute (http://wwics.si.edu/ ) here in Washington, DC on Croatia - I don't like the premise of this one....especially the equating of the recent political events in Croatia - to what has recently happened in Serbia.....

Can anyone attend this event and give this dear Polish lecturer a thorough once-over, and express our collective outrage?

East European Studies
Woodrow Wilson Center
One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004-3027
Email: ees@wwic.si.edu
Tel: 202/691-4222

The East European Studies (EES) program provides a non-partisan forum for bringing historical and contemporary understanding of the former communist states of Eastern Europe and the Baltics to the nation's capital. EES organizes seminars, conferences, workshops and briefings featuring prominent scholars and policymakers from the U.S. and Eastern Europe with experience in shaping U.S.-Eastern European policy.

The Return to Power of Nationalist Parties in Croatia and Serbia: What Does it Mean?
Wednesday, May 12 2004, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Mieczyslaw Boduszynski, Lecturer, Political Science Department, University of San Diego
 

Hi Tony,

I do hope that at least one Croatian will show up at that lecture and set the record straight. It is unbelievable that anyone following the recent events in Croatia and Serbia could possibly compare the two nations and Governments. Let's write to Mr. Boduszynski at the San Diego U. and stop him before he talks such nonsense.
Hilda


Hi!

I just wanted to say that the title of this program doesn't necessarily pre-judge the content, although admittedly, the Wilson Center has been a hotbed of anti-Croatianism..

However, I have seen people write about this very same topic, using the very same terms, and say that the two nationalist parties have nothing in common, that Croatia and Serbia are very far apart politically.

For example, TOL and a variety of commentators from RFE/RL have mentioned the recent elections of 'nationalists' in Serbia and Croatia and have made conclusions that the HDZ is like the Republicans, while Serbia's nationalists are essentially fascists and that the distiction needs preserving.

Also note that USD has Michael McAdams on staff, who wrote Croatia: Myth and Reality, an excellent piece that de-bunks Serbian propaganda.

I have briefly read one of the papers this guy did last year on Croatia's cooperation with the Hague. The paper is at:http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~bsp/publications/2003_01-pesk.pdf

Some key points he might make during his presentation (based on his views as expressed in above paper). My comments follow on each point:

**Croatia is victim and victimizer -- too relativistic, more victim than victimizer based on the numbers. Croatia did not take 1/3 of Serbian territory, loot, kill and rape their citizens and refuse to make any deals for 4 years to allow citizens back.

**people not aware of Croatian war crimes as much -- but his paper doesn't mention the actual numbers -- for example, doesn't say that one few hundred died in Storm but thousands dies in Serb aggression. Also doesn't mention the evacuation order in Krajina.

**no mention at all that part of Croatian outrage over the Hague is lack of punishment of Serbia for lack of cooperation; international double standards.

regards
Sanja