Neil Clark writes:
I have always maintained that the demonisation of the late Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and the destruction of his country came about not because Milosevic was an ethnic cleanser (he wasn't), nor because he was a dictator (he wasn't), but because he was running the 'wrong' sort of economy.
Yugoslavia under Milosevic had publicly owned petroleum, mining, car and tobacco industries, and 75% of industry was state or socially owned. In 1997, a privatisation law had stipulated that in any sell-offs, at least 60% of shares had to be allocated to a company's workers.
The high priests of neo-liberalism were not happy. At the Davos summit early in 1999, Tony Blair berated Belgrade, not for its handling of Kosovo, but for its failure to embark on a programme of "economic reform" - new-world-order speak for selling state assets and running the economy in the interests of foreign capital.
Now of course Milosevic is dead, and the Balkans have been 'liberated' from his 'tyrannical' rule (under which over 20 political parties freely operated). And Kapital is free to go anywhere in the region!
The newly 'independent' Montenegro is providing particularly rich pickings for the global financial/business elite, as this Daily Mail report reveals.
What was a Yugoslav army/navy dockyard in the Milosevic era is now a piece of real estate owned by TriGranit, Hungary's biggest property developer. And what do we know about TriGranit?
It is co-owned by a Hungarian-born Canadian billionaire named Peter Munk and Nat Rothschild. Munk, 80, is owner of Barrick Gold, the world's largest gold producing company. He was advised to invest in Montenegro by the Rothschild family, with whom he has long enjoyed business ties. Then he made a call to Deripaska. 'Oleg made the first phone call to the prime minister (Djukanovic)(pictured above) and opened the door for me,' Mr Munk explained. But Munk and Rothschild were not alone in the project. Also on board are Nat's father Lord Rothschild and two other business big names. One, Bernard Arnault, the chairman of luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, adds lustre.
The toppling of Milosevic and the destruction of his country has certainly proved profitable for some, hasn't it!
As Monsieur Verdoux, the eponymous anti-hero of Chaplin's classic film said: "Wars- conflict- it's all business!"
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What it fails to mention is the amount of Montenegran land owned by Russians. When I was there last year the harbour fronts were full of yachts with Russian flags.
ReplyDeleteIndeed it is so popular with Russia that there is two flights a day each way between Tivat and Moscow.
As for Milosovic, he destroyed his own country. If he had not started throwing his weight around in Serbia and trying to abolish the autonomy of both Kosovo and Vovordinja then he would not have panicked the other republics over his agenda. Remember he wanted a "united Serbia" but did not want to give up the three votes that Serbia propoer and each of the autonomous regions had on the Presidential council.
Er unity = 1. So why insist on keeping the three votes?
By the way the old Catholic seminary in Split has been turned into the city's central mosque.
"By the way the old Catholic seminary in Split has been turned into the city's central mosque."
ReplyDeleteJust as the supporters of Izetbegovic can only possibly have wanted.
But then in Pecs in neighbouring Hungary they have an old Turkish mosque that was converted into a church after the Turks were kicked out.
ReplyDeleteQuite strange seeing a mosque with a cross sticking out of it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73717412@N00/2233919205/
There was probably a church on that site before the Turks invaded. In fact, much of the church building might well have been incorporated into the mosque.
ReplyDelete