MTU
speaker shares news, views of Balkans
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Ron Martin, Michigan Tech doctoral candidate
and participant in the
MTU Peace Corps Masters
International Program, begins his Power Point and slide
presentation on the Balkans at the April 18 Tech Tea on the MTU
campus. Martin gave a historical and geographical overview of the
region, followed by slides he took while traveling and working as
an election official in Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Croatia.
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HOUGHTON ’Äì
Results of the recent parliamentary elections
in Montenegro have surprised many who thought a
sufficient majority for the pro-independence group
led by Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic would
lead to a referendum on secession from the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), which now consists of
only Serbia and Montenegro.
The Sunday, April 22, elections
’Äì now reportedly giving Djukanovic only a
two-seat majority over the anti-independence,
pro-Yugoslav coalition (35 to 33 seats in the
77-seat parliament) ’Äì
could have had important repercussions in the
Balkans, according to Michigan Tech Ph.D. candidate
Ron Martin, who is also enrolled in the MTU
Peace Corps Masters International Program.
At a recent Tech Tea, Martin shared
with the community his impressions of travel, work
and personal contacts in the war-torn region, most
of which was once known as Yugoslavia. Some of these
Balkan states were once home to many immigrants
who came to the Copper Country about a century ago
for a new life.
’ÄúIf Djukanovic ’Äì
Montenegro's pro-independence President ’Äì
and his allies
win a decisive majority, he will probably call an
independence referendum
this summer," Martin said last week during his
presentation at Michigan Tech.
He noted Djukanovic, although
he was once an ally of Serbian ex-leader Slobodan
Milosevic, was now leaning toward the West. Martin
said most of the people he met in Montenegro
supported Djukanovic and the independence movement.
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This map shows Balkan boundaries as they have
existed since 1999, as a result of ethnic unrest and war in the
1990s, with Serbia and Montenegro forming the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia. (Map courtesy Ron Martin)
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’ÄúAlso, I have spent most of
my time in the south where many more people are
pro-independence while people in the mountainous
north (closer to the Serbian border) are more for
retaining the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
(FRY),’Äù Martin added.
Now,
however, the election results show less of a
majority than was predicted. On Sunday night Belgrade's
Independent Radio station B-92 Web site reported:
’ÄúBelgrade-based Centre for Free and Democratic
Elections spokesman Marko Blagojevic said that the
pro-independence bloc Victory Belongs to Montenegro
led by president Milo Djukanovic looked to have won
42.2 per cent of the vote, while pro-Yugoslav
coalition Together for Yugoslavia had gained 40.3
per cent.’Äù
However, Monday morning’Äôs New York Times reported, ’ÄúWith
98 percent of the vote counted, secessionists had 42
percent of the vote, compared with 40.6 percent for
the anti-independence coalition.’Äù
The
article, by Carlotta Gall, also noted, ’ÄúThe
European Union fears that independence from the
newly democratic Serbia might reignite ethnic
tensions in the United Nations-administered Kosovo
and the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia.’Äù
On
Monday, April 23, with the official count not quite
complete, Martin said, ’ÄúLooks like a surprise in
Montenegro elections. The race was much closer
so it will be much more difficult for Djukanovic to
call an independence referendum with the country so
divided. My guess is that they will put off the
idea of independence for now and maybe try to
negotiate a more favorable position within
Yugoslavia (e.g. more equitable with Serbia).’Äù
On
Tuesday, April 24, reports from Montenegro seemed to
confirm Martin’Äôs prediction that independence may
have to be postponed. According to Gall,
pro-Yugoslav leader Predrag Bulatovic’Äôs coalition
is expected to obstruct parliamentary moves for a
referendum or a change in the Constitution, which
requires a two-thirds majority.
Meanwhile,
the pro-independence Liberal Alliance, which
received at least 5 seats, believes itself to be in
a good position for negotiating with Djukanovic’Äôs
group.
In
her April 24 article Gall writes, ’ÄúThe Liberals
were celebrating today, since after years of
campaigning for independence they finally find
themselves as power brokers.’Äù
At
the same time, reports Tuesday’Äôs B-92 site, the
Liberal Alliance claims compensation for what they
consider election fraud depriving
them of more votes.
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This 1997 photo shows a hi-tech optical
ballot scanner used for counting ballots in the Vote Count Center
in Lukovica, Bosnia and Hercegovina, where Ron Martin worked as an
election official and observer. (Photo courtesy Ron Martin)
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Ron Martin’Äôs knowledge of
Yugoslav elections is first-hand. Besides teaching
environmental engineering at the University of Tuzla
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he has worked as an
election observer and an election official in
Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Croatia. During his slide
presentation, Martin showed photos illustrating how
voters are marked with an ultra-violet spray to
prevent multiple voting.
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This 1997 photo shows a temporary bridge in
Mostar, where a historical Ottoman bridge was destroyed.
Martin also visited the historic "Bridge on the Drina,"
subject of a novel (with that title) by Nobel Prize winning
Yugoslav author Ivo Andric. (Photo courtesy Ron Martin)
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Montenegro was just one of
several Balkan areas Martin visited and
photographed. His slides ranged from bombed bridges
in Bosnia and Herzegovina to markets in Albania.
While much of the virtual tour he presented evoked
the tragedy of war during the past decade ’Äì including bombed homes and even remains of war
victims ’Äì Martin’Äôs slides also showed the
beautiful mountains, the breathtaking Adriatic
coastline and the warm hospitality of the people he
met who, for the most part, treated him well
whatever their ethnic background or political views.
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This map shows Balkan boundaries in 1900,
when much of the area was still under the Ottoman Empire. Note the
location of Montenegro. (Maps courtesy Ron Martin)
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Using
a Power Point computer demonstration with detailed
maps and outlines, Martin first gave a geographical
summary of how the boundaries of Balkan ethnic areas
changed after wars dating back to the Ottoman Empire
of the 14th century. He presented a
historical overview of events leading to the recent
wars in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina and
Kosovo and to the recent conflicts between ethnic
Albanian separatists in Macedonia and the Macedonian
government. He followed that with slides of his own
travel and work experiences and his interpretation
of the ethnic and religious differences contributing
to conflicts in the region.
Martin
explained how the Treaty of Versailles after World
War I created the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and
Slovenes ’Äì which later became known as Yugoslavia.
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This 1919 map shows how, after World War I,
the Treaty of Versailles created the nation of Yugoslavia, which
included Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Hercegovina,
Macedonia and Montenegro. (Map courtesy Ron Martin)
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After World War II, he noted, Tito’Äôs authoritarian
regime prevented
ethnic conflicts from breaking out in the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which,
thanks to Tito’Äôs ability to secure loans through
Western alliances, became the most prosperous of the
Eastern European socialist countries. That situation
changed after Tito’Äôs death in 1980 with the rise
of the Serbian leader Milosevic. Martin summarized
the major events of the 1990s as follows:
- 1990
’Äì Slovenians approve an independence
referendum
- 1991
’Äì Macedonia (FYROM, or the Federal Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia), Slovenia and Croatia
declare independence, triggering war (which
Macedonia escaped at that time)
- 1992
’Äì Independence referendum approved in Bosnia
and Hercegovina by Bosnian Croats and Muslims
but Bosnian Serbs boycott it and war erupts
- 1993
’Äì Disintegration of the Muslim-Croat alliance
in Bosnia and Hercegovina
- 1995
’Äì Turning point in Bosnia and Hercegovina with
two events that hardened international public
opinion: the Srebrenica massacre (the biggest in
Europe since World War II) and the shelling of a
Sarajevo market.
NATO forces later bombed areas controlled by
Bosnian Serbs, Martin said, while the West also
trained and equipped Croatian troops who recaptured
areas of Croatia controlled by Serbs. Martin pointed
out that a ’Äúhumanitarian catastrophe’Äù resulted
as Serbian refugees from Croatia too old or too sick
to travel were killed.
’ÄúThere were atrocities on all sides,’Äù Martin
noted. ’ÄúI believe some deserve more blame than
others, however.’Äù
Martin added that the
Dayton Peace Accords brought about only a very tense
peace in Bosnia. Also, the Kosovo problem was
ignored at that time, leading to yet another Balkan
conflict:
¬…
1998
’Äì Violence erupts in Kosovo
¬…
1999
’Äì NATO bombing in Kosovo
¬…
1999
’Äì The death of the Nationalist Croatian President
Franjo Tudjman. This leads to a moderate,
West-leaning government supporting equal rights for
different ethnic groups.
¬…
2000
’Äì
Milosevic calls
elections and loses.
¬…
2001 ’Äì
Milosevic imprisoned.
Martin said he believed the
conflict in Kosovo was quite separate from the
Bosnian conflict.
’ÄúBy the time the Kosovo
conflict got out of control, Bosnia had become much
more stable,’Äù he explained. ’ÄúIn fact, one excuse
the West used for bombing FRY was to prevent
instability from returning to Bosnia.’Äù
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This map shows ethnic divisions in
the Balkans. (Map courtesy Ron Martin)
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Martin also pointed out the
complexities of different ethnic and religious
groups trying to live together. While Slovenia has a
homogeneous population of 90 percent Slovenes (Roman
Catholic), Croatia has 78 percent Croats (Roman
Catholic) and less than 12 percent Serbs (Orthodox). Bosnia
has perhaps the most heterogeneous mixture, he
noted, with about 40 percent Serbs, 38 percent
Muslims and 22 percent Croats. Macedonia’Äôs mixture
of about 65 percent Macedonians (mostly Orthodox)
and 30 percent ethnic Albanians (many Muslims)
accounts for the tension between those two groups
(This can be seen in the film Before the Rain,
which Martin mentioned).
The town of Tuzla, where Martin
taught in 1996, is Bosnian Muslim-controlled, he
said.
’ÄúIt is the most multi-ethnic
town and the most tolerant town in all of Bosnia,’Äù
Martin noted.
On the other hand, as his
slides illustrated, it has a high degree of both air
and water pollution. Raw, untreated sewage and
wastewater from a chemical plant pollute a river
that goes through the town. During the war, Martin
noted, since there wasn’Äôt enough energy production
and there was no production of chemicals, the
environment cleaned up a bit (except for the land
mines).
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Children play in an abandoned car in the
historic town of Travnik, Bosnia and Hercegovina. Martin said
air pollution, especially from cars, is probably the worst
environmental problem in the Balkan areas he visited. (Sept. 1998
photo courtesy Ron Martin)
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Air pollution from automobiles
is perhaps the worst environmental problem of the
whole area, Martin said. In Sarajevo, the air
pollution problem is especially severe because of
the many refugees coming back from other parts of
Europe with cars. Older cars, without pollution
controls, that survived the war and are still
running, pollute the air even more. Pollution along
the Adriatic coast also threatens tourism, which has
been the mainstay of Croatia’Äôs economy, Martin
added.
Martin said he enjoyed
traveling to the northern part of Bosnia near the
Croatian border, an area with still beautiful rivers
but also abandoned houses. His slides of Sarajevo
showed the ruins of a building that housed an
independent newspaper. Nothing remained but the
elevator shaft in the middle of it. Martin said the
newspaper continued to operate throughout the war
from the basement after the building was bombed. He
showed what was left of the National Library in
Sarajevo. In bombing it, Martin noted, ’Äúthe
Serbian forces were trying to erase a history.’Äù
During the war, he noted, goods
were smuggled through a tunnel under Sarajevo. Among
the most expensive black market goods were coffee
and cigarettes which, he was told, were sold for
outrageous prices. Cigarettes are a pervasive part
of the culture, he noted, showing a photo of a
former teacher who had lost her job and was selling
cigarettes along the road near the ’ÄúArizona Market.’Äù
’ÄúIf you’Äôre a non-smoker
like me, you really have to adjust,’Äù Martin said.
His photos of human remains
near Srebenica showed bodies of those who had tried
to escape the massacre and were caught.
’ÄúIt’Äôs not real pleasant,
but I think it’Äôs something that needs to be
shown,’Äù Martin explained. ’ÄúA lot of what
happened there wasn’Äôt pleasant.’Äù
He read to the audience a
translation of a Bosnian quotation: ’ÄúPeople
don’Äôt just live here to live. People don’Äôt just
live here to die. People here even die just to
live.’Äù
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Ladies in front of their homes in Travnik,
Bosnia and Hercegovina. (Sept. 1998 photo courtesy Ron Martin)
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In Tuzla, a non-governmental
organization called BOSFAM provides a weaving and
arts and crafts shop for war widows. Martin said it
provides a source of income for them but also a form
of therapy ’Äúto help them try to come to terms with
what happened.’Äù
While Martin noted there is
still a lot of tension with returning refugees, he
has hope for progress in the Balkans.
’ÄúCroatia is becoming more
open, more democratic,’Äù he said. ’ÄúSerbia is
moving forward. It has a long way to go, especially
(because of) the economic problems. The big thing
(in Bosnia and Macedonia as well) is economic
development.’Äù
Members of the Tech Tea
audience ’Äì both students and community visitors ’Äì said
they found the presentation informative.
Rose
Cory, MTU student in environmental engineering, said
while some of Martin’Äôs slides showed a good
vacation spot, ’ÄúI learned that ’ÄòRonaldo’Äô was
there to work.’Äù
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Mari Pearce of Houghton discusses Balkan
ethnic origins with Ron Martin after his Tech Tea presentation on
April 18.
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Said
Mari Pearce of Houghton, ’ÄúI was really curious to
know where the ethnic groups originated from, and he
explained it.’Äù
Katherine Strojny of Hancock
said she found the presentation excellent.
’ÄúI got a good feel for the
different geographic and ethnic areas,’Äù she said.
Strojny, whose mother is of
Albanian heritage, said she hopes to visit Albania
in the near future.
’Äì
Michele Anderson
April 24, 2001
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