THE MEDIA AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN THE BALKANS.   Term Paper ID:30203 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Focuses on THE NEW YORK TIMES coverage of genocide in the Balkan regions & Slobodan Milosevic.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Focuses on THE NEW YORK TIMES coverage of genocide in the Balkan regions & Slobodan Milosevic. TIMES articles on human rights violations, murders and the evenutal trials. Analysis of TIMES stories on capture & detention of Milosevic. Serbia and American aid. Coverage of the war crimes trials. Overall lack of interest of American public. Paper Introduction: MILOSEVIC, HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE NEW YORK TIMES For some generations now, American diplomacy has attempted to focus on human rights. Now, there is a dearth of outstanding American diplomats and a public which has other interests on their mind. For example, while much of the European press spends column after column on the Balkans, and now the genocide trials in The Hague, as far as the American press is concerned, he current problems of human rights, in Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia and now at the International Court at the Hague, are limited to a few sound bites, and some human interest stories of horror, survivors, and the desire for revenge in that region. It is therefore up to the nation’s leading newspapers, like the New York TIMES, to provide more details and consistent coverage for the few who are truly interested and involved. In following some stories ab Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. MILOSEVIC, HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE NEW YORK TIMES For some generations now, American diplomacy has attempted to focus onhuman rights. This can be spent on cigarettes, soft drinks, or othertidbits at the prison store....Once a month, inmates get a telephone card,worth about $29, free. They saythey already know which Serbs were responsible for abuses in theirhometowns and want to see them punished, not just the national leaders."(Fisher 2 1 A6) It would seem that Mr. Fisher's report may well presagethe outbreak of house to house "revenge" fighting any time in the nearfuture. For example, while muchof the European press spends column after column on the Balkans, and nowthe genocide trials in The Hague, as far as the American press isconcerned, he current problems of human rights, in Kosovo, Serbia, Croatiaand now at the International Court at the Hague, are limited to a few soundbites, and some human interest stories of horror, survivors, and the desirefor revenge in that region. "In just four days inAugust (1995) the Croatian military and police regained territory that hadbeen held by the Serbs since 1991. Milosevic Faces the Court" New York TIMES, Jul3, 2 1 mainland. The TIMES, also in 1999, seeks to provide a link between Naziatrocities and those of the Serbs and Croatians, perhaps to inflameAmericans as to the scope of human rights violations, or to give greaterAmerican consensus to American involvement, both militarily anddiplomatically. The offensive drove more than 2 , Serbs from their homes and farms...European diplomats and militaryanalys6ts believed that American military gave their tacit blessing and mayeven have helped plan the operation...(italics mine)..." (Gall 2 1 A2)Nevertheless, an American, Ramsay Clark, a former U.S. But,while Croatia has already turned over a dozen ethnic Croatians from Bosniawho were indicted earlier, this time two cabinet ministers resigned inprotest. Of course, eventually the American peace keepers willleave, and then the revenge carnage could begin. It is also interesting to note another link with the German warcriminal trials in 1946 and beyond and the proceedings in the Hague. Milosevic should be tried in his owncountry, where his acts and the nature of the conflicts are fresh in theminds of potential jurors. In beginning this overview of some of the TIMES articles on humanrights violations and the eventual trials, there hangs this feeling ofsecondary importance about the entire subject. Now, there is a dearth of outstanding American diplomats anda public which has other interests on their mind. With the American military presence diminished in that part of theworld (only recently to be exposed as President Bush made a visit to thetroops in Kosovo) the key interest of the TIMES in recent weeks has shiftedto the capture, detention, and removal of Milosevic from Serbia to a prisoncell in the Netherlands. In followingsome stories about Slobodan Milosevic and the entire genocide problems inthe Balkan regions in the New York TIMES one can come to grips with thefact that American involvement is, at best peripheral (aside from troopssent to keep peace in Kosovo many months ago). They can pay for more...While several Serbiannewspapers have published reports of the 'dungeons' in The Hague, someDutch readers have written to newspapers lamenting that the inmates werebeing unduly pampered." (Simons 2 1 1.8) One of the TIMES correspondents also draws a link with Germany afterWorld War II. A key ethnic Albanian guerilla leader,Hashim Thaci, skipped the Albanians' meeting with Mr. Dole...Perhaps mostembarrassing, Mr. Thaci, a 29-year old commander of the Kosovo LiberationArmy, could not be found..." (Perlez 1999 16) Whatever the reasons for theno-show, the TIMES seemed to indicate it was an insult to the U.S. In a sense, the American public is not vitallyconcerned, since there is at least a wide expanse of land and oceanseparating Kosovo, Serbia, and Croatia and Albania from the U.S. However, the editorial also says that "...the Hague proceedings arean opportunity to educate the public, including the Serbian people, aboutthe ethnic violence unleashed in the Balkan wars of the 199 s and Mr.Milosevic's role in instigating the conflicts." (no author 2 1 A 16) Muchlike the Nurnberg trials of the 194 s, chances are the "unbelievers" willnot be converted. There is another hidden bit of news that most Americans probably werenot aware of (and chances are, their home town newspapers or newscasts ontelevision did not cover this part of the story). Ian Fisher's story (July 4, 2 1) stated that"...scratch the surface of conversation here (in Pristina, Kosovo) and manyAlbanians say they hold all Serbs accountable...It is impossible tooverstate the anger Albanians in Kosovo feel for the man who is chargedwith crimes against humanity in the Kosovo war...Many Albanians here havetheir own take on the government's concept of personalizing guilt. "Mr. Inan editorial in the July 3, 2 1, edition of the TIMES, it is stated thatit could be two years before anything significant is done in Milosevic'strial. ...the outlook for agreementfrom what the Administration had viewed as the most pliant side in theKosovo conflict remained uncertain. It is therefore up to the nation's leadingnewspapers, like the New York TIMES, to provide more details and consistentcoverage for the few who are truly interested and involved. attorney-general,"spent several hours with the former Yugoslav president..(but) 'has onlygiven legal advice'...and has not been hired as counsel..." (Simons 2 1 8) The TIMES has printed a number of letters on the trial and onMilosevic. (Incidentally, NBC News had this story, the TIMES didnot!) Perhaps the one issue that has not been fully discussed by the TIMES,or for that matter, by other American journals, is what sort of punishmentwould be "allowable". Interestingly enough, this report also states that "the largestassociation of war veterans fiercely denounced the decision and threatenedto use 'all means available' to fight the transfer of the two Croats,including mass protests and road blockages." (Gall 2 1 A2) Again, alludingback to the end of World War II, can one possibly imagine German SSveterans protesting at the jailing and potential trials of their leaders? CITATIONS: Bernstein, Richard: "To Butt In or Not In Human Rights: The GapNarrows" New York TIMES Aug 4, 2 1 Cohen, Roger: "From Bosnia to Berlin to The Hague, On a Road Toward aContinent's Future" New York TIMES July 15, 2 1 Cohen, Roger and Simons, Marlise: "At Arraignment, Milosevic Scorns hisU.N. 3, 2 1 No author listed: "Mr. From the first articleutilized in this assessment of TIMES articles and news stories, written in1999 it is obvious that even the Clinton administration sent in a "secondteam"- in this case, former Senator Bob Dole. Today, largely rejected by a country hrimpoverished and led into wears that left 2 , people dead, he stood asthe first head of state indicted before an international court for crimescommitted while he was in office." (Cohen 2 1 A1) This sentence, all byitself, should have made a major impact on the American public, as itundoubtedly did in Europe- the fact that, finally, at long last, the U.N.and its court arm in The Hague no longer remains toothless, and that warcrimes will be prosecuted (However, similar genocide actions in Rwanda haveyet to even come to any sort of International Court actions). For everyday Mr. Milosevic...works, doing laundry or cleaning duty, he can earnanother five. Justice, even in international courts, grinds exceedingly slowly. Yet, while this is not an opinion piece, one has to wonder why theTIMES does not provide some insight into how guilt can be handled, andrevenge avoided. Accusers" New York TIMES July 4, 2 1 Crossette, Barbara: "Guide Proposed for Rogue Leaders" New York TIMESJuly 23, 2 1 Erlanger, Steven: "Serb Authorities Arrest Milosevic To End Standoff"New York TIMES April 1, 2 1 Fisher, Ian: "Albanians Say Trying Top Leaders Isn't Enough" New YorkTIMES July 4, 2 1 Gall, Carlotta and Simons, Marlisa: "Croatia in Turmoil After Agreeingto Sent 2 to Tribunal" New York TIMES July 9, 2 1 Kaufman, Michael T.: "Looking for the Line Between Patriotism andGuilt" New York TIMES, April 11, 1999 Muschler, Jeffrey P.: "Letter: Try Milosevic At Home" New York TIMES,July 11, 2 1 Perlez, Jane: "Dole Returns from Rebels Without Assent to KosovoAccord" New York TIMES March 7, 1999 Simons, Marlise: "Milosevic's Abode: 1 by 17 Feet but No Dungeon" NewYork TIMES, July 15, 2 1 Simons, Marlise: "Milosevic Faces Tribunal" New York TIMES, July 8,2 1 Simons, Marlise: "World Briefing United Nations: The Hague: AmericanAdvises Milosevic" New York TIMES, Aug 1, 2 1 Simons, Marlise: "Tribunal in Hague Finds Bosnia Serb Guilty ofGenocide" New York TIMES, Aug. In a TIMES story, Judge May, 62, is identified as someone "whostarted to work at the United Nations Tribunal here in 1997, and has areputation for keeping tight control of his courtroom." (Cohen 2 1 A1) Atthe time this story was published, Milosevic had refused any legal help,expecting to defend himself against what he continues to contend is anillegal tribunal and trial. "Although Mr. Milosevic is the prime mover behind themurder and agony that have filled our television screens for the betterpart of a decade, he has not acted alone. The TIMES does provide some insight into Milosevic's eventual defense."Even before he decides on his tactics, Mr. Milosevic's broad approachappeared clear today., His allusion to the NATO bombing was consistent witha line that Mira Markovic, his wife, has urged on him: seek to portray thetrue criminal in Kosovo as NATO, which bombed Mr. Milosevic into submissionin 1999." (Cohen 2 1 A1) Just as in the Nurnberg trials there was little attention paid, orpublicity given to the judges and the lawyers involved, so the tribunal'schief judge, Richard May, a Briton, and the prosecution teams get littleattention. Noteveryone (as was stated earlier) sees Milosevic and his underlings as "warcriminals", and the fact that some others are now being sought and takenprisoner and put on trial has caused problems, which the TIMES dulyreported: "Cropatia's West-leaning government found itself confrontingcollapse and potential civil unrest today after it decided this weekend tosend two of its citizens to the international war crimes tribunal in TheHague...On Friday, the tribunal's chief prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte,visited the government in Zagreb and demanded that they live up to theirobligation to hand over high-ranking suspects indicted a month ago." (Gall2 1 A3) Two Croatian army generals were charged with war crimes. The black-robed prosecution team is "led byCarla Del Ponte, a Swiss lawyer who has accused Mr. Milosevic of threecounts of crimes against humanity, including murder...In addition, Mrs. DelPonte, 54, said in an interview published today in the French daily, LeMonde, that she envisages bringing charges of genocide against Mr.Milosevic for Serbian crimes in the Bosnian and Croatian wars." (Cohen 2 1A1) What should make this trial far more important than it is for theaverage American is, as the TIMES duly reported, "For a long time, Mr.Milosevic bent Serbia to his whim. "In Belgrade, Slobodan Milosevic used the undigested historyof World Wear II to help whip up a frenzied Serbian nationalism that wouldwreak havoc across the region....But Germany, unlike Serbia, turned itsback on the very notion of national pride after 1945." (Cohen 2 1 4.7) What should be of all-consuming interest to the American public, notmerely its diplomats, is the fact that "a group of leading internationallegal scholars and jurists, convinced that more public figures are likelyin coming years to face trial for abuses like genocide and crimes againsthumanity, is proposing the first set of guidelines for such cases....Theexperts advocate no immunity for heads of government and no amnesty foranyone charged with the worst of crimes." (Crossette 2 1 A2) Two weeksago, a former Bosnian general was convicted "of genocide...for his role inthe systematic execution of more than 7, unarmed Muslim boys and mennear the Bosnian town of Srebenica...JudgeAlmiro Rodrigues of Portugal...told the defendant...'you agreed to evil.This is why the Trial Chamber convicts you today." (Simons 2 1 1) Human rights IS the right of the world's nations to come down hard onits perpetrators: "The more respect for human rights we can help engenderin a country the less likely that country is to go to war with us..."(Bernstein 2 1 7) Nevertheless, as the TIMES' reportage shows, seldom ifever is the issue of Human Rights violators on trial a truly major issue.It involves "foreigners", so most Americans don't care. He may plan the strategy, but theSerbian people are willing instruments of his terror..." (Kaufman 1999 1)This article begins with that link to Germany where people "(who) mighthave been thought of as normal citizens to accept, support, and in manyinstances actively carry out Nazi policies..." (Kaufman 1999 1) What seemsobvious here is that the American mindset does not equate the Balkans withWestern Europe, nor the Serbs, Croatians and others who were slaughteredwith the Jews of the Holocaust. However,Bob Dole, certainly no diplomat of high ranking, was certainly not in aposition to do any dealing- something surely Mr. Thaci understood. At first, Milosevic, holed up in his residence,refused to be arrested, but "Slobodan Milosevic surrendered to Serbianauthorities early this morning and was brought to Belgrade's CentralPrison...After a series of deadlines to surrender had passed, the policesurrounding his residence appeared to be prepared to storm Mr. Milosevic'shouse...there were scattered gunshots and a short burst of automatic firefrom the residence." (Erlanger 2 1 1) While buried at the tail end of thestory, the real importance of this seeming Serbian "dedication" to arrestMilosevic was that "with the arrest, all barriers to certification by theBush Administration of Belgrade's cooperation...appeared to have beenremoved and will probably allow some $5 million in American aid tocontinue to flow..." (Erlanger 2 1 1) Money talks- even if it is whisperedby the TIMES at the end of their lead story of the day. To create a tribunal and apply standards notgrowing out of the past social system...would be to open the world to astandard of universal justice that is untested and not in keeping with thewar victor's duty to set right the abuses of its own citizens." (Muschler2 1 16) Once Milosevic was in prison in Schleveningen, a small seaside townoutside The Hague, The TIMES printed a "human interest" story: "He isentitled to five guilders (close to $2) of pocket money daily. A number of them believe that he should be tried not in TheHague, but in his own country. RogerCohen (2 1) points out that in Milosevic's view (and that of his rightwing supporters in Serbia today)_ "the tribunal is no more than a politicalcourt where the victors seek to justify their actions by branding as acriminal the man who led the state being bombed..." (Cohen 2 1 A1) AsTIMES reporter Marlise Simons, who is covering the Hague trials wrote (July8, 2 1) "Calling the court 'illegal, he (Milosevic) refused to enter aplea on charges of war crimes...But the imperturbable presiding judge,Richard May of Britain, cut off his microphone and entered a plea of notguilty for him." The trials, or at least, the attempts to try others on war crimescharges has caused some serious political rifts in the Balkans. Already, however, there have been scuffles betweenrightist supporters of Milosevic and others in Belgrade, and especially insome of the smaller villages, where his picture remains on walls, and he isregarded as a "hero". The TIMES is attempting to equate the two,to prepare its readers for the eventual trials to come (even though itwould be nearly two years before that actually occurred). It is obvious in reading anumber of articles in the TIMES that the concern featured in the vastmajority of stories is with the leaders, like Milosevic and others, and nottheir followers who are as guilty of murder and human rights violations asthe leaders they followed. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.