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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

Russia-Belarus-Yugoslavia Union Stillborn

20 April, 1999 - 00:00

By Vitaly PORTNYKOV, The Day
Writing this item, I wished I could rename it "Prelude to Empire" because
of the Yugoslav Skupshtina's historic decision to join another "invincible
and blossoming" Union with Russia and Belarus.

Of course, one could dwell on how this union would threaten Ukraine,
the rest of Europe, Russian democracy, prospects for Yugoslav democracy,
Montenegro, and Kosovars and also pose several biting questions about the
CIS, Mr. Camdessus, or a union with Slobodan Milosevic using US money...

But what for?

We all understand only too well that no empire will be created, just
as there will be no union, not even if Presidents Yeltsin, Milosevic, and
Lukashenka ceremoniously sign a union treaty in the Kremlin and even if
Russian Patriarch Aleksiy II and Serbian Patriarch Paul bless the union.

After all, the Russia-Belarus Union is stillborn, although everything
was properly signed and blessed, with all the required pomp. And Russia
and Belarus are so very much closer in every sense, compared to Yugoslavia:
common border, common past, common economic vehicles. Yet it just did not
work.

Now, however, it is very interesting to watch the transformations of
nostalgia. There were so many plans cherished in conjunction with the Moscow-Minsk
union, even Lukashenka was comforted in every way despite his completely
paralyzed economy. Now it is Yugoslavia's turn after several weeks of NATO
bombing. Maybe if all the post-Soviet countries were attacked from the
air, we would now have 15 Soviet Republics raised from the dead?

 

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