Good Riddance

With the news that the 'Butcher of the Balkans', former Yugoslav President, Slobodan Milosevic has died in his jail cell, the world should be quite happy the murderous animal is gone for good. Nothing more than a racist thug, he cruelly ordered the slaughter of hundreds of thousands, and millions were forced to leave their homes. After the fall of Communism in Yugoslavia, the murderous dog took advantage of age old ethnic and religious tensions in that area, attempting to force all non-Serbian civilians from the country. Those who resisted were killed , really executed by the armed fascists he commanded. The term 'Ethnic Cleansing' was coined as a result of Milosevic's actions and is synonymous with carnage directed towards the systematic eradication of a particular group of people.

The strangely interesting thing however are the reactions to his death. While it may be understandable the butcher's family would side with him, what is it about the term 'depraved murderer' that some of these other people don't understand?

Widow Mirjana Milosevic: "The tribunal has killed my husband."

Serbian President Boris Tadic: Tadic expressed his condolences to the Milosevic's family and to the Socialist Party, according to RTS (Radio TV of Serbia).

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy: "With the death of Milosevic, one of the main actors, if not the the main actor in the Balkan wars of the late 20th century, has left the scene. "I would like to spare a thought for all those who suffered so much from ethnic cleansing -- tens of thousands of men, women and children -- (the cleansing) Milosevic conceived and planned."

Ivica Dacic, senior official of Milosevic's Socialist Party: "It's a big loss for Serbia and for the Socialist party. He was being systematically killed in the Hague and finally he died."

Croatian President Stjepan Mesic: "It's a pity that Milosevic did not live through the trial and get his deserved sentence."

Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Richard Holbrooke, chief architect of the Dayton Peace accords: "This man, this monster, this war criminal who wrecked Southeastern Europe in the latter part of the 20th century is gone from the scene once and for all, but his mark is enduring ... and it isn't very good. "Milosevic is over, but the problem is that there's still two terrible war criminals out there." [Ratko Mladic, leader of the Bosnian Serb army, and former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic, both at large and wanted on war crimes charges.]

Haris Silajdzic, former prime minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina: Milosevic's death will not have a great impact, he said. "The world has moved on."

Posted on The Human Stain