The community for foreigners in Belgrade, Serbia

Serbia watchers and locals cannot have missed the big news of the last two weeks: The breaking up of Serbia’s Radical Party.

If you have no idea what it is about, have a look at this good introduction from “A Fistful of Euros”:

Serbia’s Radical Party: strange convulsions | afoe | A Fistful of Euros | European Opinion

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Remember that dreadful incident where Red Star hooligans tried to burn alive a cop?

From B92:

BELGRADE —
The 2nd District Court handed out prison terms to Red Star fans convicted of crimes during a match last year.

A Gendarmerie member, Nebojša Trajković, was brutally beaten during the Red Star v Hajduk Kula game.

Miloš Zimonja was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison,
while Slaviša Drakul was sentenced to one year in prison for violent
behavior at a sporting event.

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The superb “A Yankee In Belgrade” blog has some lovely pictures of the anti-Mosquito insecticide sprayers that dose Belgrade every few months during the Spring/Summer seasons.

Large versions at the original site.

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From B92:

BELGRADE —
2 skydivers stunned early risers in Belgrade this morning by parachuting from the capital’s tallest building.

The two jumped from the Beograđanka building in central Belgrade at 06.30 CET.

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"Celebrate Life" by street artist TKV, taken in Belgrade 28th July 2008

Some very good news from the German Chamber of Commerce reported by Hungarian Economist Dániel Antal:

Serbia ranked first topping all other countries of South-Eastern Europe – stated Marcus Zenetti, Head of the German Chamber of Commerce Delegation to Serbia. He said that 97% of the polled foreign companies said that they want to increase investments in Serbia, as they are very pleased with business conditions and results achieved. Zenetti stated that the poll underlines as key arguments to invest in Serbia low labor cost, central position in the region, relatively low taxes, contract on economic cooperation with Russia, as well as membership in the CEFTA free trade zone.

Source: Central Europe Activ

My only problem with this is that the only source is EMportal who disgraced themselves recently with a recent spin piece I addressed earlier.

That said there is a huge upsurge of interest and welcome positive news about Serbia and its economy.

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“UNODC rated Serbia as one of the safest countries in Europe” screams the headline.My positivity filter scream “yes”!

Turns out this is a classic Trojan propaganda insert:

In its September report, credit rating firm Dun&Bradstreet (D&B) kept Serbia’s rating at DB5a as a country of high risk.

As D&B’s review quotes, a report by the UN Drgus & Organised Crime body (UNODC) rated Serbia as one of the safest countries in Europe after having broken the visious cycle of political instability and criminality. [sic, emphasis mine]

UNODC rated Serbia as one of the safest countries in Europe :: emportal ::

OK so relatively bad news – Serbia’s credit rating remains as high risk – is spun out with old good news (previously report on this blog here).

I must be slowing down, because it took me several seconds to realise what was happening with those bizarre opening headlines.

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From B92:

BELGRADE — Serbia’s trade in the first six months of 2008 totaled about USD 21bn, the Statistical Office said.

The figure is 42.2 percent up on the same period of 2007.

Exports have grown by 40.3 pct, reaching USD 6.7bn, while imports went up by 43.1 pct, to USD 14.2bn.

The trade deficit in the first half of 2008 was at USD 7.4bn, 45.8 pct more than in the same period of 2007.

[From B92 - News - Business & Economy - Serbia's trade grows by 42.2 pct]

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In an incident reminiscent of last years mad Chinaman incident on Knew Mihailova (where a man stole a Kebab knife and stabbed several people), a New Belgrade resident went on the rampage yesterday, but luckily was shot and disabled:

BELGRADE — Police have arrested Željko Ajder, 31, after he attacked passers-by with an axe and two machetes in New Belgrade.

The incident, which included officers shooting and injuring the assailant in the thigh, occurred at around 11:00 CET.

A woman who happened to be on the street at the time was also lightly injured by Ajder during the chase.

[From B92 - News - Crime & War crimes - Machete, axe wielding man runs amok]

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In a brilliant article by Stratfor’s George Friedman, we have the most lucid argument I have seen so far for the direct link between Kosovo and Georgia:

GEORGIA AND KOSOVO: A SINGLE INTERTWINED CRISIS By George Friedman

Here are the first two paragraphs:

The Russo-Georgian war was rooted in broad geopolitical processes. In large part it was simply the result of the cyclical reassertion of Russian power. The Russian empire — czarist and Soviet — expanded to its borders in the 17th and 19th centuries. It collapsed in 1992. The Western powers wanted to make the disintegration permanent. It was inevitable that Russia would, in due course, want to reassert its claims. That it happened in Georgia was simply the result of circumstance.

There is, however, another context within which to view this, the context of Russian perceptions of U.S. and European intentions and of U.S. and European perceptions of Russian capabilities. This context shaped the policies that led to the Russo-Georgian war. And those attitudes can only be understood if we trace the question of Kosovo, because the Russo-Georgian war was forged over the last decade over the Kosovo question.

Please do yourselves a favour and go and read the article in full.

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