ACCELERATION OF SELF-ISOLATION: ON CREEPING ANTI-EUROPEISM

By Velimir Curgus Kazimir

Anti-Europeism is not definitely not a new phenomenon in the Serb politics and culture. Both in distant and near past there were various motives for and manifestations of resistance to and suspicion of anything coming from Europe, those phenomena ranging from populist conservatism to socialist populism.

Currently only so-called serious print media, both dailies and weeklies-notably "Politika", "Vecernje novosti", "Danas", "NIN", "Vreme", "Ekonomist" deal with the topic of Europe. Tabloids are not interested at all in the phenomen of Europe and integration into Europe. Instead of dealing with the phenomenon, they are covering only details, or sideshows, for example, how developed are homosexuality, lesbianism and pedophilia in Europe, what is the extent of pollution in Europe, how unjust and tough Europe is, how in Europe the only all-important value is money, how Europe is dominated by sects, how Muslims and Blacks are flooding Europe, how children are snatched from parents, how men are disenfranchised in Europe, how our people are persecuted in Europe...

Serious print media also tend to mention European ills the very moment lamentations about domestic problems are kicked off. Then Europe and European values somehow become a serious threat to survival of Cyrillic alphabet, and also to the biological survival of the Serb people. Such connotations emerge somehow naturally. Such a stand on Europe is closely linked to the work of the ICTY. Thus in July there were 629 texts on the Hague Tribunal, 224 on EU, and 204 texts on the theme "We about others". In June that ratio was the following: Hague Tribunal 391, EU 170 and "We about others" 135.

Media use the theme of Europe to step upe the national and political fever. The same holds true of talk shows in which guests lambast and rail against traitors and mercenaries, and disclose secret documents on anti-Serb conspiracy...According to them there is a broad spectrum of threats against Serbs. In the sphere of economy fear of and distrust in foreign investors is being spread. In the sphere of culture evidence is presented that Cyrillic allphabet is being suppressed and Serb langugage spoilt, and as regards demography claims are being aired that Serbhood is being wiped out.

Dobrica Cosic has not invented the idea of anti-Europeism. Cosic is only trying to join the ranks of original patriots-missionaries who throughout history excelled in their anti-Western stands. Side-effects of such a missionary work are mysanthropy of many generations and their resentment of the contemporary democracy. When in June 2006 "Vecernje novosti" ran an exclusive four-installment feature on the Serb nationalism penned by Dobrica Cosic it seemed as a shot in the dark. But two months later it emerged that the feature was a calculated political game, and not a random gesture. All the current talk about Kosovo seems like an introduction into a protracted state of emergency in which a suspicious and negative stance on Europe and all things European shall become the most important indicator of patriotism and political correctness. Four Cosic's texts carry the following headlines: "Serbs have abandoned history?" "Future has been ordered", "Century of lethal illusions" and "Let's face up to the truths". The basic feature of Cosic's stand is criticism of "robber-baron capitalism" and "hypocritical, guided democracy". That is his value-judgement on the period of transition, and on what it entails.

His facile airing of judgements is directly linked to the vicious spite with which he describes his political and ideological opponents, whereby he plunges into a logic and content-wise blindness like a person who has become totally disoriented and lost all sense of proportions of the topic he is dealing with. His texts abound in pathetic and vacuous phrases and citations of some authors beyond any context. Almost all paragraphs contain mindless phrases, notably "America is no longer a free society" and "Carthesian and Descartes Europe may be currently found only in-libraries". In this way Cosic may speak about anyone and anything without any reason and committment. To size up Cosic mind-set and line of thinking best serves the following statement: "For two centuries we were a small people who gave the most sacrifices for European freedom and democracy." This phrase probably intends to humiliate and subordinate Europe. Once Europe realizes the extent of our sasrifices, it shall surely give us a lot of money. For, without such compensation we shall give a wide berth to Evrope!

Europe currently unites all our old traumas and future paranoias. According to Cosic: "It once again tries to make us happy with its ideological commands. Once that was the task of Bolshevic bureaucrats, and now Eurobureacrats have that task. Hence we must think twice about joining Europe.> Cosic seems to be daydreaming about a new, non-aligned European power which could act as an alternative to EU. For example: Serba, Belorus and Cyprus. In such a creation would then nestle other countries disgruntled with Europe. With the growth of Euro scepticism Serbia stands a better chance of becoming a regional force. That is a road rarely taken, but some have opted for it. That is the way the things stand in heads of those who never felt any remorse for anything. Their perfection is a reward for all of us. When we have such thinkers we do not need Europe at all.