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EDITORIAL
Montenegro: Balkanizing the Balkans
Published May 26, 2006 6:14 PM
The first thing to make clear is that the referendum separating Montenegro
from Serbia on May 21 had nothing to do with self-determination for the people
in that republic. The second is to understand that the breakup of the
Montenegro-Serbia union is just the latest step in the dismemberment of the
former Yugoslavia so that each of the mini-states left can be more easily
oppressed and exploited by U.S. and Western European imperialism.
In this
case the bulk of the Monte negro residents, 30 percent of whom identify as
Serbs, speak the same language and are members of the same church as the bulk of
the population of Serbia. Montenegro is more mountainous and has a seacoast, but
a similar history. It also has a political leader under suspicion—and in
Italy under investigation—of using Montenegro for a lucrative
cigarette-smuggling racket. He and his party have been leading the drive for
indepen dence from Serbia for the past decade.
The referendum, which
required 55 percent for victory—the Constitution requires
two-thirds—got 55.4 percent. That 0.4 percent translates into 1,760
votes—a small part of the Montenegrin diaspora brought back to vote, many
coming from the New York area. It was an anti-Serbia vote, easier to find or buy
after the U.S. and European Union propagandists made Serbs the pariahs of Europe
for defending their own independence too well and made them a target of NATO
bombs.
Berlin, Vienna and then Washington instigated the breakup of
Yugoslavia, using lies, money, subversion, 78 days of bombing and more
subversion to bring it about. Those defending real self-determination in the
Balkans will defend the right of the peoples there also to join together to win
and defend their independence from imperialism.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
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