David Binder: Reflections on Milosevic

David Binder (born 1931) was a correspondent for The New York Times from 1961 until 2004. He specialized in coverage of central and eastern Europe, based in Berlin, Belgrade and Bonn. The current piece was published in Belgrade's Politika on March 22, 2006.

balkanalysis: No Serbian leader had such renown since the time of Prince Lazar and Tsar Dusan. No Yugoslav except Tito had such international recognition. One must concede that to Slobodan Milosevic and, at the end of his days he appeared to relish that prominence immensely - the sole reminder of his years in power over the shredded country he left behind.

But keep in mind, his notoriety was manufactured largely outside of Serbia, outside of the larger Yugoslav frame, by adversaries who became enemies slavering over his final defeats and rejoicing in his incarceration.

"Butcher of the Balkans!" (who was it that coined that ludicrous epithet reminiscent of World War I or World War II propaganda?) "He was a monster!" trumpeted Richard Holbrooke adding, "Sometimes monsters make the biggest impact on history. Hitler, Stalin. And such is the case with this gentleman."

Note the sly addition of "this gentleman" - because Holbrooke, the failed diplomat, had not merely shaken the putatively bloody hand of the monster, he had also smoked fine cigars and drunk excellent whisky with him, again and again.

Wesley Clark, the failed general - the U.S. Army retired him after his troubled stint as NATO commander - faintly echoed Holbrooke calling Milosevic a "petty Hitler."

Why such preposterous exaggeration? Because it provided a venomous rationale justifying the United States and its allies to subject Milosevic's Serbia first to severe sanctions and then to bombs, rockets and uranium-laced munitions. Of parallel importance, it elevated Madeleine Albright, Bill Clinton, the Holbrookes and the Clarks to the status of giant-killers. Read more