Quote Originally Posted by Jaguara View Post
How about if we focus on the court itself, it's verdict, and the way ahead? I would rather not dig up the nitty gritty and tit-for-tat of the war(s), unless they are neccessary to make a relevant point.

I would hope that in time the International court can gain strength and credability to the point where the ends can no longer justify the means. If the court dies, then we are back to the victors and the powerful punishing only the losers, while they go on in impunity.

I am encouraged that these were Croats, and I am hoping that it was not just a token. It is essential that the court be able to act independantly, and not just be a tool of, oh I don't know...the US?
Hmm, it is a complicated issue. People are moving on, that's definitely happening. There's a joint basketball league, there's talk of a joint football league (it's going slower because of the various mobsters wannabe who aren't keen on relinquishing control), Big Brother reality show for the first hosted people from all countries that used to make up Yugoslavia, traveling isn't longer complicated - you don't need visas and in most cases you don't a passport, an ID is enough. Bussinesses are picking up, although Croats still tend not to allow Serbian companies or Serbian products on the Croatian market but I believe it'll get better. Current Croatian president seems a reasonable man but the government is a bit too much nationalistic for my taste. So, all in all, things are looking up indeed.

Now, how much is that because of the courts... IMHO, not much, if any. One might say it is in spite of courts. Serbs tend to see themselves as being singled out and victimized, Croats and Bosnian muslims generally hate when any of theirs end up in the court because it's a stain on their heroic, against-the-odds, purely defensive war.

General incompetence of the courts doesn't help either. Vojislav Seselj, who is a Serbian ultra nationalist spent more than half a decade in the Hague without being indicted. I'm naturally not a fan of his, but there isn't a court in the civilized world which could keep a man in jail for six or seven years without indicting him. It doesn't really speak well of a court when it first locks someone up and then spend a decade looking for the reason why.

When Bosnia sued Serbia for genocide, court ruled that there was a genocide, that Serbia didn't commit genocide and that Serbia was guilty of not preventing it. How can you take seriosly a court after a verdict like that, devoid of sense and logic?

I myself am quite disillusioned by all this. In my opinion these aren't courts but a tool of the great powers (read: US & co at the moment) to have a legal excuse for anything they might do.