Dragan writes:
Autonomy is something that everyone is willing to give them (except maybe some extreme nationalists). But, independence just can't be given at any price because it would lead to demands of other ethnic minorities for independence. And that would lead to disintegration of Yugoslavia and Serbia, making them unable to resist foreign influence and pressure. Right to self-determination should be respected, but in this case it can't justify separation. Kosovo Albanians are misled by US and other governments promises.

Unfortunately, problem can't be solved until two main conditions are fulfilled: -stopping NATO, and throwing down Milosevic. The second one it totally impossible while we are at war with NATO.

There is a lack of information about current situation on Kosovo. But, there is a whole mountain of disinformation- partially from foreign news agencies, partially from our propaganda. None of them can be trusted because they only represent interests of ruling classes.

My personal opinion is that there is some sort of ethnic cleansing, although not in the way CNN is claiming. The truth might be that some of the refugees fled because fights between army and KLA separatists forced them to; and because of NATO bombings, too. It is possible that army and police expelled Kosovars without YU papers (a great number of them didn't want to be registered in recent years), and that there are some paramilitary activities, but the figures on western news are extremely exaggerated. Individual crimes certainly exist, but I think (and hope) that there are no collective atrocities.

Responsible for the crimes can't be judged at puppet Hague tribunal (even our constitution doesn't allow such a trial), and most of our judges are under Milosevic's paw.

From Chicago: Naive about Kosova
Monday, 12 April 1999

Eckardt writes:
Dear Dragan,

By now you've gotten a piece from me and one from Tony Thomas arguing for supporting Kosovar self-determination (of course self-determination means nothing without the right of independence -- that's simply telling someone they're free to do what they want . . . but they can't leave).

So I don't want to sledge hammer you with a lot more arguments, but while I got your [above] letter ready to post I noticed a couple things that I just had to comment on.

I can't believe you said independence would lead to "the break-up of Yugoslavia." I know the news is censored in Belgrade but surely you didn't miss the emergence of what--four?--new republics or the little matter of 250,000 people killed and three million made refugees. Yugoslavia IS broken up, Dragan.

Your statement only makes sense if you equate "Yugoslavia" with "lands controlled by Serbia" (since that's all that's left to break-up). That would make you a Serbian nationalist--no different from Milosevic. Time to re-think, Dragan -- is that what you want to be?

I also couldn't believe you said Kosovar independence would leave "Yugoslavia and Serbia" (a telling formulation) "unable to resist foreign influence and pressure." Gee, you're being bombed right now -- fair to call that "foreign pressure?"

Fact is that Milosevic is the personification of Western influence and pressure. He is the transmission belt for --and the agent of-- Western imperialism. They have collaborated all along to deal awful and devastating blows to the working people of Yugoslavia. (OK, sometimes they have their contretemps, their clashes -- Uncle Sam reins Slobodan in, like in the Krajina, or today while he is destroying Milosevic's defenses.

Is it impossible to overturn the Milosevic regime while under direct imperialist attack? You say "no" -- I say if "no" is the answer you might as well take up Tibetan mysticism or something like that to pass the time until you kiss your ass good-bye.

Could there be a more important time to overthrow imperialism's agent than when imperialism is attacking you?

Of course that does NOT mean that you march in the streets against Milosevic while NATO bombs are falling around you. Your task is to hug Milosevic to death -- to demand the ability to defend yourself against imperialism -- to demand the arming of the people, the free circulation of information, the incorporation--not the assassination -- of oppositionists into the fight against imperialist aggression ("shoot Clinton not [the newspaper editor]" (I forget his name).

Similarly, the oppression of Kosovars is the main axis of / pretense for imperialist intervention. You can advocate incorporating Kosovar independence fighters into the fight by recognizing their legitimate demands for equality. ("Shoot NATO, not Kosovars!") Recognizing the legitimate demands of Kosovars politically disarms imperialism.

All these ideas are schematic and formalistic. You're the one on the scene, you'll have to find a way to implement them that makes sense for people there. But the basic idea is to advance easily-understandable, reasonable demands to further the struggle against imperialism -- which Milosevic, as a wannabe capitalist and agent of imperialism can not grant. The idea is to expose Milosevic as incapable of fighting imperialism, while organising people around defensible and easily-realizable demands that advance the fight against imperialism.

That's the way to both organize people to fight imperialism and advance their consciousness. Wait for the end of the war -- and oppose the national liberation movement in oppressed Kosova -- and you're dead meat, sitting ducks for imperialism.

Get the picture?

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