Wow, that was good
12 January 2003 22:33![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mandragoraJust watched the second part of a documentary series called 'The Fall of Milosevic'. Unfortunately, I missed the first part. I couldn't give this part my full attention, either, because I was working at the same time, considering various legal exhibits.
But what I saw was incredibly well done. The series producers had managed to interview everybody - Clinton, Blair, Yeltsin, Chirac, the Troika, the German Chancellor (whose name I am, shamefully, having a mental block on), the then Serbian Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Mrs Milosevic, military leaders of the time etc. Everyone but the man himself, for obvious reasons.
And yet, where the programme really scored was that it also included lots of footage from 'ordinary' people. Some of the most chilling footage was filmed by a teacher, called Bali Thaci, who was searching for his family. He captured what genocide looks like en route - numerous, and graphic, shots of mutilated corpses. He kissed the corpse of his brother and wept. But he didn't recognise his dead uncle at first, so badly mutilated was his body. Some Serb soldier had literally torn the uncle's throat out, not merely cut it, to take away as a trophy.
But the programme was even-handed in its report and showed the devastating effects of NATO screw-ups, when the wrong targets were bombed. A Serbian woman was interviewed who was injured by the bombing and wept as she recalled begging those who came to help her to look after her daughter-in-law first. But the daughter-in-law was already dead. There were many shots of dead Serbian civilians lying in their own blood.
What was interesting was hearing all the conflicting view-points but what struck me most clearly was that communication was the key. The most effective modern weapon in some sense was the telephone, because so long as the various leaders were prepared to talk to one another then misunderstandings could be averted.
The effectiveness of the phone was most clearly shown regarding the plan between Yeltsin and Milosevic to carve up Kosovo and establish a Russian zone, which would be controlled by the Serbs. The Russians were in control of an airbase in Kosovo, into which they could land troops. Except that to get there they had to fly over either Bulgaria, Romania or Hungary. Clinton picked up the phone and called the respective leaders of these countries. Permission to fly over was refused to Russia. Milosevic was left with nothing.
Now I'm really hoping that the series is repeated soon so that I can watch the first part and re-watch the second. Documentary making at its best.
But what I saw was incredibly well done. The series producers had managed to interview everybody - Clinton, Blair, Yeltsin, Chirac, the Troika, the German Chancellor (whose name I am, shamefully, having a mental block on), the then Serbian Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, Mrs Milosevic, military leaders of the time etc. Everyone but the man himself, for obvious reasons.
And yet, where the programme really scored was that it also included lots of footage from 'ordinary' people. Some of the most chilling footage was filmed by a teacher, called Bali Thaci, who was searching for his family. He captured what genocide looks like en route - numerous, and graphic, shots of mutilated corpses. He kissed the corpse of his brother and wept. But he didn't recognise his dead uncle at first, so badly mutilated was his body. Some Serb soldier had literally torn the uncle's throat out, not merely cut it, to take away as a trophy.
But the programme was even-handed in its report and showed the devastating effects of NATO screw-ups, when the wrong targets were bombed. A Serbian woman was interviewed who was injured by the bombing and wept as she recalled begging those who came to help her to look after her daughter-in-law first. But the daughter-in-law was already dead. There were many shots of dead Serbian civilians lying in their own blood.
What was interesting was hearing all the conflicting view-points but what struck me most clearly was that communication was the key. The most effective modern weapon in some sense was the telephone, because so long as the various leaders were prepared to talk to one another then misunderstandings could be averted.
The effectiveness of the phone was most clearly shown regarding the plan between Yeltsin and Milosevic to carve up Kosovo and establish a Russian zone, which would be controlled by the Serbs. The Russians were in control of an airbase in Kosovo, into which they could land troops. Except that to get there they had to fly over either Bulgaria, Romania or Hungary. Clinton picked up the phone and called the respective leaders of these countries. Permission to fly over was refused to Russia. Milosevic was left with nothing.
Now I'm really hoping that the series is repeated soon so that I can watch the first part and re-watch the second. Documentary making at its best.
