Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Massive demonstrations continue in Serbia.
Viewing the news last night was alarming. Various military reservists showed up at a border post on the Serbia-Kosovo border and attacked Serbian police. This resulted in some police being injured, and finally the police used tear gas to disperse the ot. In Banja Luka the demonstrations have been ugly enough that consulates have pulled out. There is some dispute whether the youth of Banja Luka really had a day off from school or not. The fact is though that they were out in force. This is why I had hoped Kosovo independance if it was inevitable would have happened while there was still a lot of snow in the region. It would have dampened some of the fury.
Russia too has had demonstrations.
Every war of the preceding 20 century has had an oil angle, except maybe Northern Ireland. That was full of terrorism but a refressing lack of an oil angle unless you count petrol bombs.
I have been trying to figure out what the oil angle is with the Balkans, I have really been trying to figure that out a long time.
Last night in the wee hours while I was watching 'Est Ouest' it occured to me, this region has some oil, not enough to merit the rivers of blood which have flowed here though. The REAL oil issue is pipelines. Russia depends on pipelines through the region to be able to sell their oil elsewhere. They are afraid governments less under their control might interfere with business.
As well one sad reality of the post-Communist world is hardly anyplace that used to be Communist or Socialist escapes having a thriveing kleptocracy at the top. Republika Srpska is full of brand new highways, I saw some of them on the news. Dodik is up to his flabby armpits in this and in real-estate. The Serbs are not alone in grabbing the goodies, a friend of Silajdžić has a huge mine near Vareš, and I am talking about open-pit iron mining. The guy's last name is Jata or Jala, sorry fuzzy pictures on T.V. are not my friend. The mine is HUGE and I am sure there are nice payoffs all around.
Not that the Communist era was free of that stuff, it is just more open now. It is scary, far scarier than the scary demonstrators who are angry about Kosovo.
And unlike the demonstrators who will get tired and go home eventually back to their underpaid and hard lives, and who may or may not be able to think about things later, the kleptocrats are not going away. They come in all religions and ethnicities, being a kleptocrat is an equal opportunity offense.
March 1 there is another demonstration about juvenile delinquency planned. Again, I am not going. It will start by the Katedrale and I guess end up where it ended up last time, but I don't know, I just know it is another Saturday I won't leave the mahala.
My landlord's father died, not sure if it was yesterday or the day before. I found out that bills meant for my flat were ending up downstairs. That is never a good thing. I knew something was wrong when I got a notice to pay the gas bill or else on my door but had not recieved a gas bill in the mailbox, where it should have been. I got ONE phone bill in the mailbox for my flat, I should really have gotten two. Anyway I had to come into town to draw money for those bills. I figure everyone is busy with the funeral and all the after people die stuff. My landlords are extemely nice people. I am sure their father was a great man, he lived to his late 90s. I didn't ever get to meet him, but I know from meeting his son and daughter, he had to be a good man, because his children are good people.
Anyway all this meant that even if the S.O. had felt alright yesterday, which he didn't, I could not have him over for lunch. I will need to go back home soon and await a phone call from the landlady. I thought I'd come in here and catch up with stuff for a bit. I am down in Baščaršija.
It has been nice the last couple days. I really did not want to wear my coat, but it is still nippy in the mornings. Everyone else is wearing their coats still.
'Est Ouest' btw is worth seeing. It conveys a pretty full impression of the Soviet Union in the Stalin era, it is in Russian and French. I only had a little high school French and no formal study of Russian ever. My mother attempted to teach me their alphabet, and I never got the hang of it. It is much harder than the Serbian alphabet, which bit by bit despite BHT1's best efforts to prevent it, I am picking it up. I will never read it with the ease of Latin characters but I can slowly make out words now. It takes me back to being four and having my dad sit down and teach me my alphabet. He did a good job. I remember it still fondly. He is 80 today! Sretan Rođendan Tata! (Happy Birthday Dad!)
Russia too has had demonstrations.
Every war of the preceding 20 century has had an oil angle, except maybe Northern Ireland. That was full of terrorism but a refressing lack of an oil angle unless you count petrol bombs.
I have been trying to figure out what the oil angle is with the Balkans, I have really been trying to figure that out a long time.
Last night in the wee hours while I was watching 'Est Ouest' it occured to me, this region has some oil, not enough to merit the rivers of blood which have flowed here though. The REAL oil issue is pipelines. Russia depends on pipelines through the region to be able to sell their oil elsewhere. They are afraid governments less under their control might interfere with business.
As well one sad reality of the post-Communist world is hardly anyplace that used to be Communist or Socialist escapes having a thriveing kleptocracy at the top. Republika Srpska is full of brand new highways, I saw some of them on the news. Dodik is up to his flabby armpits in this and in real-estate. The Serbs are not alone in grabbing the goodies, a friend of Silajdžić has a huge mine near Vareš, and I am talking about open-pit iron mining. The guy's last name is Jata or Jala, sorry fuzzy pictures on T.V. are not my friend. The mine is HUGE and I am sure there are nice payoffs all around.
Not that the Communist era was free of that stuff, it is just more open now. It is scary, far scarier than the scary demonstrators who are angry about Kosovo.
And unlike the demonstrators who will get tired and go home eventually back to their underpaid and hard lives, and who may or may not be able to think about things later, the kleptocrats are not going away. They come in all religions and ethnicities, being a kleptocrat is an equal opportunity offense.
March 1 there is another demonstration about juvenile delinquency planned. Again, I am not going. It will start by the Katedrale and I guess end up where it ended up last time, but I don't know, I just know it is another Saturday I won't leave the mahala.
My landlord's father died, not sure if it was yesterday or the day before. I found out that bills meant for my flat were ending up downstairs. That is never a good thing. I knew something was wrong when I got a notice to pay the gas bill or else on my door but had not recieved a gas bill in the mailbox, where it should have been. I got ONE phone bill in the mailbox for my flat, I should really have gotten two. Anyway I had to come into town to draw money for those bills. I figure everyone is busy with the funeral and all the after people die stuff. My landlords are extemely nice people. I am sure their father was a great man, he lived to his late 90s. I didn't ever get to meet him, but I know from meeting his son and daughter, he had to be a good man, because his children are good people.
Anyway all this meant that even if the S.O. had felt alright yesterday, which he didn't, I could not have him over for lunch. I will need to go back home soon and await a phone call from the landlady. I thought I'd come in here and catch up with stuff for a bit. I am down in Baščaršija.
It has been nice the last couple days. I really did not want to wear my coat, but it is still nippy in the mornings. Everyone else is wearing their coats still.
'Est Ouest' btw is worth seeing. It conveys a pretty full impression of the Soviet Union in the Stalin era, it is in Russian and French. I only had a little high school French and no formal study of Russian ever. My mother attempted to teach me their alphabet, and I never got the hang of it. It is much harder than the Serbian alphabet, which bit by bit despite BHT1's best efforts to prevent it, I am picking it up. I will never read it with the ease of Latin characters but I can slowly make out words now. It takes me back to being four and having my dad sit down and teach me my alphabet. He did a good job. I remember it still fondly. He is 80 today! Sretan Rođendan Tata! (Happy Birthday Dad!)
# posted by Katja R. @ 1:30 AM 
Comments:
<< Home
As far as the outside world was concerned I'm not sure the Yugoslavia wars were a matter of oil or minerals, more stability at the Eastern end of NATO (touch-paper for Greece and Turkey) and perhaps the ability of the EU to police European problems. The pipeline was a lot less crucial in those days.
# posted by 
: 9:32 AM
: 9:32 AM
Well pipelines may not have been as important when there was still such a thing as Yugoslavia, but the certainly are important now. They will only get more important as time goes on.
Post a Comment
<< Home
