Radovan Karadzic Arrested in Belgrade

[Govinda]

Yes, yes, yes! He's been caught! One of the heads of the most horrific bloodshed in Europe since WW2 has been caught in Serbia's capital, after hiding in plain sight for the past decade as an alternative therapies doctor. I sort of think the church and the nationalists knew where he was, but the Serbian government's decision to arrest him signifies a move towards a new, more open Serbia, and the capture of this man was one of the criteria they had to fulfil before being considered for EU membership. They still have to get Mladic, though.

But the main thing is the cleansing. Srebrenica and the siege will never been forgotten nor really forgiven, but the Hague hanging Karadzic up to dry will be a big step towards salving old wounds.

I am pleased for the Muslims of Belgrade, for the Bosnians, and for the Serbs who suffered at the hands of this man. He faces charges of genocide and mass rape, among other things. May he rot.

Here's a link.

[Walter Sobchak]

It is quite amazing that someone can pull this off for ten years, in the age of technology. It is also nice to see the Balkans get their act together.

I would be amazed if this received ten replies.

[Jin]

It is also nice to see the Balkans get their act together.

I sure hope not. I need something to break up the steady stream of Middle East related topics in the "World" section of the newspaper. I'm just getting bored of them.

[Pete]

That's actually pretty impressive. The Serbs are an incredibly tight knit group when it comes to one of their own. I'm also pretty amazed that he'll actually be extradited, because the Serbs often refuse to do such things.

I suppose the majority of my feelings come from the following stories.

Binghamton University student at heart of Miladin Kovacevic's attack

Officials Urge Serb Beating Suspect To Return To U.S. - News Story - WNBC | New York

I know a bar fight isn't nearly the same thing, but to go to the length that these people have just to get him back in their own country is a little ridiculous. Either way, the strange thing is that I know that kid, and met the victim once, so I've been following it. You wouldn't believe how many Serbs (Serbian nationals, not second or third generation Americans of Serbian descent) think that Minja (the attacker) was in the right.


Case in point, I'm surprised that they found Karadzic, but I think that the facts that he was hiding in plain sight and the government is trying to move to a more Euro-centric mindset, and ultimately the EU, helped his capture. Let's face it: if your government was new and wanted to push it's world-standing in the right direction after years of looking terrible, it would bring about an offering of some sort to show its own credibility/ commitment.

And maybe I'm just a cynic.

[Govinda]

The nationalists are like that, Pete, you're right. I saw them on the news the other night; a group of them were actually outside the Serbian war crimes building, chanting 'Karadzic the hero!' and yelling for him to be set free. These are people who actually supported the siege of Sarajevo. It's almost beyond me.

I'm quite sure the Serbisn government knew where he was, at least some of the time. The church did, at least, they let him hide out in monasteries while his beard grew long and he perfected his reiki technique. Maybe it's the Serbs' new president, maybe it's them gearing more towards the EU like the rest of the Balkans, clamouring for a big thing to stick to so they can stand up to the Russians (with many added economic benefits). Whatever it is, it's good news for the Balkans (and don't worry, Jin, I'm sure Karadzic's trial will provide some World News entertainment for at least a little while.)