Apparently Hitchens never read Zlata's Diary, the contemporary version of The Diary of Anne Frank, which takes place in Sarajevo during the destruction of the city. And guess who did the shelling? The Serbs. Zlata remained in the city for about 2 years until her family was evacuated by the UN.

While Zlata focuses on day to day life, it is obvious that the suffering was inflicted on them by the Serbs.

so then if I were to provide a diary written by a Serb about suffering inflicted on him/her during the same period would that make things even?

I'm not sure what you're point is...

Yes- the Serbs claim Kosovo for "historical" reasons. I am sure thats what many tribes of American Indians had claimed as they fought the white man while he colonized the nooks and crannies of North America. But that aside, it was Slobo the butcher and his henchmen that piped the ultranationalist Chetnik filth on national radio,TV and at political rallies that ended up dividing a country and had neighbors murdering one another and raping women and children.

It was the Serbian majority in the JNA under orders from Milosevic and his henchmen in the Yugslavian goverment that made the first moves to seize Slovenia, Croatia and BiH when they declared themselves separate nations amidst growing Milosevic's nationalist stranglehold he attempted to place on the citizens of Yugoslavia.

It was the Republika Srbska and Serbia who made a deal with Tudjman and his Croat scum army to carve out enclaves of self interest in Bosnia by ethnically cleansing her of muslim citizens. Do I now feel sorry for those Serbians who "cannot bear the thought and idea of an independent Kosovo"? Fuck no. Kharma is a motherfucker. Those Serbs who cracked down on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo back in the 90's are now getting their due. Once Serbia abandons the racist national policy of an ethnically pure Greater Serbia in the FRY then, and only then will Serbia be accepted by the EU, NATO, UN and the world. Serbia needs to suffer the loss and repent for its sins and crimes committed as a national scourge that turned against millions of Yugoslavians.

If the Serbs and the entire region werent so goddamned racist and destroyed by ethnic strife- an independent Kosovo would never have been cause for idiots taking to the streets and throwing rocks at McDonalds or assaulting an embassy.

Many seem to forget that like Saddam in Iraq, Tito held the ethnically and religiously diffused nation of Yugoslavia together by brutally repressing spikes in Serbian and Croat nationalism. Tito was also an avid practitioner of imprisoning and executing "enemies of the state". It is in my opinion that Yugoslavia died when Tito died back in may of 1980. Yugoslavia should be dead. Croatia, BiH Serbia and it's little rump states need to separate and start anew. The new nations should respect ethnically diverse peoples living amongst the majority lest the relive the horrors of war visited upon them from 1991-1995.

robjay6987 -

I agree with most of what you said here.

Clearly TheRanger is out of his depth, having only read a book about it. It's not easy to get a real idea of the Balkans from over here. I'm sure he's doing the best he can to keep track.

Hitchens gets most all of this correctly: 90% of Kosovo was/is albanian: and what he doesn't say is that the remaining 5-10% (which was Serb) were the police -- effectively "colonists."

The Serbs have been victims of their elected rulers - and by extension, these are self-inflicted wounds. They shouldn't have let Arkan go running around like a mad Duke in Bosnia -- they shouldn't have let Karadjic and Mladic go "medieval" on the civilian population of Bosnia. For their failings, they are now also losing Kosovo - and rightfully so. They could and should have chosen a better path.

It is time that the world acknowledge that the kosovars, like the kurds, should have their own language and their own self-determination.

Good point Robjay, let's give them a language....say how about Ebonics? Or better yet one of our more obscure redneck dialects. Incidentally what is it you suppose they do now to communicate? Grunting, grand gestures or maybe articulated flatulence?

Petty, rude, and racist remarks by someone clearly angry with the break-up of Yugoslavia in1990. Get over it! The Albanians in Kosovo are part of their specific region. They should have autonomy over their flag, nation, and EU admission. Are we going to see the embassies attacked when Macedonia joins the EU? The Serbs are part of their specific region. The Croats have their piece of the pie. Each of these splinter states can't be burned, stoned, or machine-gunned into wanting to re-integrate back into the "Great Nation" of Yugoslavia. Tito is dead. The republic has gone their separate ways. Please stop crying over the Bosnian War. Small countries that commit genocide to remove one race or religion from their "holy sites" are nothing new. Israel and Palestine are not good examples for Europe to follow. People who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Nationalistic pride.... That's what led the Germans down the path of blind obedience to Adolf Hitler. Another bad path for folks to follow.

"rude, racist" are you talking to me? Sorry I was under the misapprehension that the Kossovars already had a language. It was difficult to figure out want kind of cerebral shortcomings might lead someone to suggest "giving" them one. Now I see that even blatant jest is over some heads. The "improved" standards in the Fray appear to have signifigantly reduced mean IQ around here. The original post from Ranger is riotous, where does he get the idea FW was being pro-Serb; certainly not from the text.

"so then if I were to provide a diary written by a Serb about suffering inflicted on him/her during the same period would that make things even?"

About as much if I were to provide a diary written by a Nazi about suffering inflicted on him/her during the same period as Anne Frank would that make things even

The Croats and Bosnians were not shelling Sarajevo. So let's not make the Serbs look like innocent victims. While there were problems on both side, the destruction of Sarajevo was not a military move.

My complaint is the self-inflicted victim routine. Sarajevo was not exactly self-inflicted pain. It was an attempt to pressure the assembly into the Serbian peace terms. Yield to our demands or we will destroy the civilians in Sarajevo and other cities.

Oh, there is a "routine" that gives the excuse to grind an axe about...whatever turns those little wheels. Funny thing that the Serbs were the ones that were fighting the Nazi's during the war while the Croats, Bosniaks and Albanians were practically inventing the genocide of that era. The victims were Serbs, Jews and Gypsy's and would have been again had Ustashi scions had their way. It's good that you read a book though maybe you should try another, look up the Markale plaza incident.

Zlata was 12 years old when the siege of Sarajevo began. What is your point? Is it ok to inflict suffering on current day Germans because of the Nazis?

Mactosh- put the hashpipe down- I said nothing about language in respect to the former Yugoslavia.

Nice retort- you should enter into a 9th grade cut down fight. Stop wasting your time in here brainiac- use your 'talents' where they will be more appreciated

Ranger- I agree with you about Sarajevo. It was the Serbs who surrounded the city with artillery pieces, tanks, mortars and snipers. It was the Bosnian Serbs and their Serbian Masters who murdered thousands of her citizens for 443 consecutive days.

Mactosh is a Chetnik genocidal apologist. Don't worry about him- he is a moron who forgets his history. If you review the tapes of one of the last Bosnian Parliament sessions of 1991 you will see Radovan Karadzic warning the Bosnians to fall in line and lay down for the JNA and Serbia. His agression and intentions hide nothing and state clearly for all historians to see that Serbia will eliminate and wipe out all traces of Ethnic Muslims in Bosnia.

TO WIT:

Serb's leader terrorist Radovan Karadzic (Radovan Karadžić bs.sp.) talking to Bosnian Parliament:

"...do not think that the Bosnia will not be leaded to the hell and MOSLEMS people to disapearing, because MOSLEM people can not defend themself in the case of war here..."

This was in the disscussing about that if the Bosnian Parlimanet refuse to stay in by Serbia dominated teritorry (so called Great Serbia, name given by planer of this newest of genocide plans).
[more about plan]

It is significant that Karadzic used word "defend themself", that mean Moslem population in Bosnia will be attacked by "someone". In other words karadzic says "If you do not stay under our control we will terminate you".
(www.bosniaonline.org)-

Anyone who apologizes and makes excuses for barbaric practitioners of wholesale genocide will most likely join Tudjman, Milosevic, Mladic, Karadzic and the rest of the architects of this travesty in the deepest pits of hell.

My ex-girlfriend was half Serb and half Vojvodinian German or of Danube Swabian decent and never hated Muslim Bosnians or professed that they be eliminated. She had gotten beaten many times by her racist,ultra-nationalist Serb father for telling him he was fucked up for his Chetnik ignorance and blind hatred towards Bosniaks.

Idiots like Mactosh and my ex's father are more nazi-like in nature than their sorry asses would care to admit.

Hey guys, here we talk about Kosovo and Metohia, about Serbs and Albanians - to talk about Bosnia - you are far away from knowing the facts and truth about that conflict - you just know what your media told you it happened.

Some of you compared native Americans and Serbs are the same, when it comes to Kosovo and Metohia - well that's not true. And here is why:

1948. 490.000 Albanians, 170.000 Serbs + 23 other minorities on Kosovo and Metohia

1991. 1.6 Million of Albanians, 190.000 Serbs + 23 other minorities on Kosovo and Metohia

Today. 2-2.4 Million of Albanians, few thousand Serbs and others on Kosovo and Metohia

So just in period of last 50 years Albanians changed ethnic structure of Kosovo and Metohia region. Not longer, not before that!!!

And how they did it, you have 2 choices:

1. Making 1.1 Million babies for 43 years period (48' to 91')

2. Thousands of illegal immigrants from Albania

Which one you will pick?

Yeah, you will ask me what are my resources, well here it is:

www.KosovoLiberationArmy.com (URL: <link> )

See for yourselves.

My point was one of sarcasm (with the American Indians).

I am sure the KLA have a lot of facts on their website as do the Tamil Tigers, Al Qaeda, Hezbolla, etc. They are fucking terrorists propaganda is their business.

I think Kosovo should be autonomous as should all the other former Yugoslav Republics. I also think that ethnic Serbs should be allowed to live in Kosovo without fear of being mudered, etc. I think that the fear Serbs are experiencing are based on the past injustices incurred upon Albanians and the reprisal attacks on Kosovar Serbs by KLA and their loyalist fighters. I think the goverment of Serbia isn't due to have Kosova or lay claim to her for "historical" resons. They made such a mess of Yugoslavia in the 90's they should just stay the fuck on the other side of the Drina. I also think that the KLA should disband and let the country of Kosova be multi ethnic and leave Serb civilans the hell alone.