TFF PressInfo

12. Jacanje autoritarizma na ZapaduPogledajte rubriku Pisma uredniku bilo kojih uticajnihzapadnih dnevnih novina, pogledajte debate koje se vode nateleviziji, obratite paznju na pitanja koja postavljajunovinari. Surfajte po internetu, listajte web-sajtove,servere i grupe za diskusiju i jedna ce vam stvar postatiocigledno jasna: obicni gradjani na Zapadu postaju svesumnjicaviji. Polako uvidjaju sve siri i siri jaz izmedjunovosti koje dobijaju od NATO-a i Stejt Departmenta i onihdrugih agencija. Mnogi jednostavno osecaju da bombardovatineduzne civile nikako ne moze biti ispravno; zdrav razum namtakodje govori da se tako nece uspostaviti poverenje izmedjuAlbanaca i Srba – ili ako hocete izmedju bilo koje dvesukobljene strane. To je u suprotnosti sa svim sto uopsteznamo o psihologiji ljudi. Sto god ovo bude duze trajalo,sve veci zamah ce dobijati protesti javnosti. Gradjani NATOzemalja pocinju da se pitaju: ako se na ovako vaznom poljumogla dogoditi greska, zar se skrivene greske mozda nenalaze i u drugim vaznim problemima danasnjice;globalizaciji, demokratizaciji koje se...

12. An increasingly authoritarian WestLook at the ‘Letters to the Editor’ section of variousinfluential Western dailies, watch debates on television,listen to new questions being asked by journalists. SurfInternet, read list servers, websites and discussion groupsand one thing is abundantly clear: ordinary citizensthroughout the West are increasingly skeptical. They see theever widening gap between NATO and State Department news andother news. Many feel that bombing innocent civilians isjust not right; common sense also tells that this is not theway to create trust between Albanians and Serbs – or forthat matter between any conflicting parties. It allmilitates against all we know about human psychology. The longer it takes, the more likely the momentum of thatpublic protest. NATO country citizens will begin to ask: ifa mistake like this could be made in this important field,are other mistakes also lurking in, say, globalization, inthe more or less forced democratization, in the zeal withwhich Western...

Vec su moguca poredjenja NATO-ovog rata protiv SavezneRepublike Jugoslavije s Vijetnamskim ratom, s bombardovanjemIraka ili s gadjanjem krstarecim raketama Afganistana iliSudana. Na neuporedivo fundamentalniji nacin od ovih drugihratova, njime se ugrozavaju sve vitalne institucije Zapada,ekonomija i zapadno vodjstvo. Izlaganjem svega ovoga riziku,zapadne vlade izgleda kao da su vec odavno izgubile iz vidasta je tu uopste bio osnovni problem. Mozda je bas to razlogzasto NATO sad sam sebe definise kao ucesnika koji nepregovara tako da mu je od sveg alata u njegovom kompletupreostala jos samo macola. To je potpuno suprotnodrzavnickoj mudrosti kaze direktor TFF-a, Jan Oberg.Svejedno da li cemo odluciti da podrzimo NATO-vobombardovanje ili ne, moramo postati svesni rizika koje onosa sobom nosi a i mogucih troskova za sam Zapad. Izgleda danasi politacari i nisu svesni koliko bi bas ti troskovimogli da budu znacajni. Stoga verujem da je vreme dapokazemo gradjansku hrabrost i preduzmemo nesto u ciljuogranicavanja stete ne samo za...

“We are told there the West knew already last autumnthat President Milosevic had a plan to ethnically cleanseall Albanians from the Kosovo province. However, while it istrue that Yugoslav forces have exploited NATO’s bombingcampaign to drive out Albanians in a way and to an extentthat must be morally condemned, the unproved allegation thatthere existed a plan tells more about NATO than aboutPresident Milosevic – and what it tells is not to theadvantage of the former,” says TFF director JanOberg.  “The disgusting expulsion of Albanians from Kosovo can’tbe defended. The Yugoslav authorities who carries it out orlets individuals do it, can not defend such human rightsviolations with reference to NATO’ bombing. Sure, Serbs willsee NATO’s destruction of Yugoslavia as work commissioned byKosovo-Albanians/UCK, but it is anyhow up to Yugoslavia tofight NATO, not to take revenge against those who areinnocent civilians.  Having said that, NATO and the West can not be trustedwhen...

According to the Yugoslav Ministry of Foreign Affairs,around 300 civilians have been killed between March 24 whenNATO’s bombing campaign started and April 13. These civiliancasualties are related to places such as Aleksinac,Pristina, Kursumlija and Grdelica Gorge. Two days ago arefugee convoy was hit, killing some 60 Albanians. Thus, dueto NATO’s mistakes about 350 civilians have been killed in24 days. That is an average of 15 per day. The war between various Yugoslav/Serb forces on theone hand and the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK or KLA) brokeout in February 1998. Thus there were 13 months of warfarein Kosovo, or 395 days. The international communityestimates that 2.000 – soldiers and civilians – were killed.That is an average of 5 per day.  About 250.000 people were estimated to have fled theirhomes during the 13 months of war, but remainedpredominantly within Kosovo and Montenegro. That is anaverage of 632 per day. Since NATO began bombing,...

Prema jugoslovenskom Ministarstvu inostranih poslova izmedju 24. marta kada je pocelo NATO-ova kampanja bombardovanja i 13. aprila poginulo je oko 300 civila. Te civilne zrtve su pale u mestima kao Aleksinac, Pristina, Kursumlija i Grdelicka Klisura. Pre dva dana pogodjena je kolona izbeglica, usmrceno je oko 60 Albanaca. Na taj nacin je zahvaljujuci NATO-ovim greskama izginulo oko 350 civila u svega 24 dana. To cini prosek od oko 15 ljudi dnevno. Rat izmedju raznih srpskih – jugoslovenskih jedinica na jednoj i Oslobodilacke vojske Kosova (OVK, UCK ili KLA) na drugoj, izbio je februara 1998. Dakle trajao je 13 meseci, ili 395 dana. Medjunarodna zajednica je procenila da je u tom periodu poginulo 2.000 ljudi, vojnika i civila. To daje prosek od 5 ljudi na dan. Procenjeno je da je oko 250.000 ljudi pobeglo od svojih kuca za vreme ovih 13 meseci ratovanja ali oni su se uglavnom zadrzali unutar Kosova...

“Most people around the world probably think that warand media are separate. When there is a war, the media tellus about it as objectively as they can under the oftendifficult circumstances. But in today’s information society,every war is two wars: that on the ground and that in themedia. Weapons communicate and communication is a weapon. Wemust ask what interests determine what we are told and whatwe are not told? The history of warfare makes one thingabundantly clear,” says TFF director Jan Oberg, “namely thatwe can safely assume that we are not told the truth, thewhole truth and nothing but the truth. In NATO’s war withYugoslavia, there is reason to paraphrase Hamlet – ‘there issomething rotten in the state of the media.’ This is what you can read about the use by the UnitedStates of information in times of war: “Psychological operations (PSYOP) are operations plannedto convey selected information and indicators...

Ogromna vecina ljudi sirom sveta misli kako su rat imediji razdvojeni. Kad se vodi rat mediji nas o njemuizvestavaju sto mogu objektivnije i to pod cesto veomateskim okolnostima. Medjutim u ovom danasnjem, informatickomdrustvu svaki se rat ustvari sastoji od dva rata: onog kojise vodi na zemlji i onog u medijima. Oruzjem se komunicira ikomunikacija sluzi kao oruzje. Morate da se zapitate kojimse to interesima rukovode oni koji odlucuju sta hoce a stanece da nam saopste? Istorija ratovanja jednu stvar cinivise nego ociglednom,” kaze Jan Oberg, direktor TFF-a, ” ato je da s pravom mozemo pretpostaviti da nam nece reciistinu, celu istinu i nista osim istine. U ratu koji NATOvodi protiv Jugoslavije postoje razlozi da citiramo Hamleta– “ima nesto trulo u drzanju medija.” Evo sta se moze procitati o tome kako SAD koristeinforcije za vreme rata: “Psiholoske operacije (PSYOP) suoperacije koje se planiraju s namerom da prenose probraneinformacije, nagovestaje i indikacije...

“Western leaders are busy re-writing history tojustify their Balkan bombing blunder. The change ininformation, rhetoric and explanations since the bombingsstarted on March 24 is literally mind-boggling. Most likelythey fear they have opened a very dark chapter in historyand may be losing the plot. One way to make failure looklike success is to construct a powerful media reality andde-construct real reality. That’s the essence of mediawarfare and that’s what happens now,” says TFF director JanOberg. “For instance, you must have noticed that the The KosovoLiberation Army, KLA or UCK, which existed some weeks agoand allegedly participated in Rambouillet now suddenly neverexisted. The 13-months war in Kosovo/a also conveniently hasbeen expurgated. The last few days President Clinton, prime ministerBlair, NATO General Wesley Clark, foreign secretary Cook,foreign minister Fischer, secretary Albright, defenceminister Robertson and other Western leaders have explainedto the world why NATO bombs Yugoslavia. They made NO MENTIONof KLA or the war....

Zapadni lideri uzurbano prepravljaju istoriju da bimogli da opravdaju svoju balkansku bombardersku brljotinu.Retorika, objasnjenja i informacije koje nam daju od 24.marta kad je potpocelo bombardovanje, toliko su se promenilida to jednostavno zbunjuje. Najverovatnije su se vecuplasili da su ovim otvorili mracno poglavlje nove istorijei da im zaplet lagano izmice iz ruku. Jedan od nacina kakoda svoj promasaj prikazu kao uspeh bio bi da izgrade do temere ubedljivu medijsku realnost kojom bi se onda razgradilii zamenili pravu realnost. Bas to i jeste sustina medijskograta i upravo to se sada dogadja” kaze Jan Oberg, direktorTFF-a. “Jedan primer – mora da ste primetili kako OVK, ili akohocete KLA ili UCK, koja je do pre nekoliko nedeljapostojala i cak navodno ucestvovala u Rambujeu sada odjednomkao da nikad nije postojala. I 13-to mesecni rat koji sevodio na Kosovu je isto tako, kao da nikad nije bio, zgodnoizbrisan. Predsednik Klinton, premijer Bler, NATO general VesliKlark, ministar...

“NATO’s unwise, counterproductive and non-legalbombing of sovereign Yugoslavia is justified by PresidentBill Clinton, EU and other Western leaders and media withreference to humanitarian concerns. Supposedly air strikesserve to stop ethnic cleansing, future massacres, refugeeflows, and prevent innocent children and women from beingkilled. Diplomatically expressed, this comes from themarketing department. Bombings will to produce what itpurports to prevent,” says Dr. Jan Oberg, TFF’s director,right after the bombing campaign has started. According toOberg, this argument lacks credibility for the followingreasons: NO VIOLENCE-PREVENTIONWhy did the West do absolutely nothing before this crisisbecame violent? There were many opportunities for anegotiated solutions. TFF, for instance, has suggested avariety of options since 1992 that could have preventedviolence and the killing we’ve seen the last year. In noother conflict has there been so many early warnings and solittle preventive diplomacy. Kosovo’s catastrophe was amongthe most predictable of all. It is intellectual nonsensethat ‘everything else has been tried...

“Bez pameti, kontraproduktivno i nezakonito NATO-ovobombardovanje suverene Jugoslavije predsednik Bil Klinton,Evropska zajednica i drugi zapadni lideri i medijiopravdavaju izgovarajuci se razlozima humanitarne prirode.Navodno – vazdusni udari sluze da sprece etnicko ciscenje,reke izbeglica, da sprece ubistva nevinih zena i dece.Diplomatskim recnikom receno ovi izgovori stizu izmarketinskog odelenja. Bombardovanje ce proizvesti upravosuprotno od onog sto navodno pokusava da spreci” kaze dr.Jan Oberg, direktor TFF-a, neposredno posle pocetkabombardovanja. Prema Obergu, ovim argumentima nedostajeuverljivost upravo iz sledecih razloga: NIJE BILO POKUSAJA DA SE NASILJE SPRECIZbog cega Zapad nije uradio apsolutno nista u prethodnomperiodu pre no sto je ova kriza prerasla u nasilnu? Bilo jepuno prilika za sporazumno razresenje. Npr. TFF je predlagaocitav niz razlicitih mogucnosti pocev od 1992. kojima senasilje moglo spreciti, a tako i ubistva kojima smo bilisvedoci prosle godine. Ni u jednom drugom sukobu nije bilotoliko prepoznatljivih, ranih znakova upozorenja, a da sepritom upotrebilo tako malo preventivne diplomatije.Kosovska katastrofa je bila medju...