Post by Dinko on Sept 8, 2003 18:51:59 GMT
I write this from Croatia itself, specifically the beautiful island of Brac. It seems an appropriate time then to put forward a proposal to improve the Croatian situation. Some form of pro-Croat political journal is needed - for both a Croatian and international audience - to be published in Croatia. It would contain accurate information about the serious issues that face Croatia, and also rebut allegations and charges made not only by the international media, but in some parts of the Croatian media.
It's no secret that Croatia's image is not what it could be. Unpleasant articles routinely appear in the international media, recently in the Guardian and in the Canadian media. Further, internationally funded groups such as the Institute of War and Peace Reporting publish material that continually shows Croatia in a bad light.
Much of this reporting has to do with issues such as Croatia's war for independence, the war in BiH and The Hague tribunal. And a lot of this reporting is inaccurate or biased. Croatian diplomacy does nothing, and consequently we have a situation in which Croatia is seen as being equally guilty with Serbia. Indeed, we seem to be moving into a situation where Croatia is seen as having been the aggressor. In discussion here in Croatia, it is clear that some in the Croatian media are also promoting an anti-Croat line - primarily magazines such as Feral Tribune, Globus and Nacional. This may seem surprising, but there is a constituency in Croatia for such material; essentially the losers in Croatian independence - or perhaps more precisely Croatian democracy. I.e. those circles that were privileged either by the communist party or Serbian elites or both - one should not forget that Yugoslavia in many ways was a Serb dominated racket, with all the human rights violations that entailed.
What should emerge in Croatia is a monthly - regularity is important - journal that would be published in both Croatian and English - for the international audience - and would deal with Croatian issues in a serious way.
Such a journal does not need to be something sold on every news stand to be effective. For example, in Britain, the Eurosceptic European Foundation publishes the European Journal, which is not widely available but does inform commentators and politicians. I am not suggesting that such a journal be anti- European Union, simply that its focus should be a pro-Croat one, something desperately needed. That said, some of the bizarre notions some Croats have about the EU could be tackled.
The attitude of Croat self-hatred by some, coupled with continued Serb propaganda efforts and the Croatian government policy of silence will have appalling effects on Croatia. Consider the economic effect. Can Croatian business thrive in the world market with such a negative political image of the country? I suspect not. It's a topic that Croatian business people should really start thinking about. Perhaps they could sponsor such a journal.
The journal could address topics such as Croatian involvement in the BiH war and the Gotovina case with reference to the evidence that is freely available in numerous documents and testimonies which nobody seems to refer to - material beneficial to Croatia. Articles about the reality of Yugoslavia - UBDA and all the rest of it - would also be a good thing, rejecting the fairy tale image of Yugoslav harmony in some quarters.
It should also take time to refute the more damaging stories that appear in the Croatian press with hard evidence. It would have a bias towards current affairs, and highlight favorable developments abroad, such as Charles Shrader's book on the Muslim-Croat civil war in BiH and Robin Harris' history of Dubrovnik. Indeed, such people should be invited to contribute.
Such an initiative would have to be done in Croatia; it can't be done by anyone else. The Croatian diaspora does what it can - and can help in this - but only Croats in Croatia can really change things. There are enough smart people in Croatia to make it work. It should certainly not be connected to any political parties. No-one on the Croatian political scene is doing the work necessary to undo the political damage that Croatia has suffered over the past few years. Too much effort, perhaps. An influential, respected, independent political journal could go a long way to ensuring that a pro-Croat attitude - based on hard facts and evidence - takes hold amongst the Croatian media and body politic, and indeed the international one.
"Wishful thinking" is no doubt one reaction to this. Quite probably, but a debate is needed about how to realistically change the Croatian situation - a situation which is currently not tenable at all.
It's no secret that Croatia's image is not what it could be. Unpleasant articles routinely appear in the international media, recently in the Guardian and in the Canadian media. Further, internationally funded groups such as the Institute of War and Peace Reporting publish material that continually shows Croatia in a bad light.
Much of this reporting has to do with issues such as Croatia's war for independence, the war in BiH and The Hague tribunal. And a lot of this reporting is inaccurate or biased. Croatian diplomacy does nothing, and consequently we have a situation in which Croatia is seen as being equally guilty with Serbia. Indeed, we seem to be moving into a situation where Croatia is seen as having been the aggressor. In discussion here in Croatia, it is clear that some in the Croatian media are also promoting an anti-Croat line - primarily magazines such as Feral Tribune, Globus and Nacional. This may seem surprising, but there is a constituency in Croatia for such material; essentially the losers in Croatian independence - or perhaps more precisely Croatian democracy. I.e. those circles that were privileged either by the communist party or Serbian elites or both - one should not forget that Yugoslavia in many ways was a Serb dominated racket, with all the human rights violations that entailed.
What should emerge in Croatia is a monthly - regularity is important - journal that would be published in both Croatian and English - for the international audience - and would deal with Croatian issues in a serious way.
Such a journal does not need to be something sold on every news stand to be effective. For example, in Britain, the Eurosceptic European Foundation publishes the European Journal, which is not widely available but does inform commentators and politicians. I am not suggesting that such a journal be anti- European Union, simply that its focus should be a pro-Croat one, something desperately needed. That said, some of the bizarre notions some Croats have about the EU could be tackled.
The attitude of Croat self-hatred by some, coupled with continued Serb propaganda efforts and the Croatian government policy of silence will have appalling effects on Croatia. Consider the economic effect. Can Croatian business thrive in the world market with such a negative political image of the country? I suspect not. It's a topic that Croatian business people should really start thinking about. Perhaps they could sponsor such a journal.
The journal could address topics such as Croatian involvement in the BiH war and the Gotovina case with reference to the evidence that is freely available in numerous documents and testimonies which nobody seems to refer to - material beneficial to Croatia. Articles about the reality of Yugoslavia - UBDA and all the rest of it - would also be a good thing, rejecting the fairy tale image of Yugoslav harmony in some quarters.
It should also take time to refute the more damaging stories that appear in the Croatian press with hard evidence. It would have a bias towards current affairs, and highlight favorable developments abroad, such as Charles Shrader's book on the Muslim-Croat civil war in BiH and Robin Harris' history of Dubrovnik. Indeed, such people should be invited to contribute.
Such an initiative would have to be done in Croatia; it can't be done by anyone else. The Croatian diaspora does what it can - and can help in this - but only Croats in Croatia can really change things. There are enough smart people in Croatia to make it work. It should certainly not be connected to any political parties. No-one on the Croatian political scene is doing the work necessary to undo the political damage that Croatia has suffered over the past few years. Too much effort, perhaps. An influential, respected, independent political journal could go a long way to ensuring that a pro-Croat attitude - based on hard facts and evidence - takes hold amongst the Croatian media and body politic, and indeed the international one.
"Wishful thinking" is no doubt one reaction to this. Quite probably, but a debate is needed about how to realistically change the Croatian situation - a situation which is currently not tenable at all.
