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Amb. Pierre-Richard Prosper
discusses Milosevic's war crimes trial with Daljit Dhaliwal.
 Watch the video Dial-up | DSL or read the transcript.
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What makes Milosevic a modern dictator?
During Slobodan Milosevic's years in power, wars raged in Yugoslavia that eventually led to its disintegration. Now Milosevic is on trial for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide at The Hague. Get the facts on the tribunal and the charges against Milosevic in the trial handbook. NEW YORK TIMES reporter Daniel Simpson writes from Belgrade on the trial's effects on the Serbs in this week's briefing . Think you know everything about Milosevic? Test your knowledge in the interactive challenge. Don't miss the photo essay on Milosevic's battle with Yugoslavia's independent news media.
A Nation on Trial?
By Daniel Simpson
September 12, 2002
When Slobodan Milosevic was handed over to The Hague war crimes tribunal last June, most Serbs breathed a sigh of relief.
All but an outspoken few in Serbia, the dominant republic in what remains of Yugoslavia, were happy to see the back of the man who led them into a decade of conflicts with their neighbors. Most regarded him as a tyrant who had impoverished his people while a coterie of shady businessmen and gangsters got rich.
But a war criminal? The majority were unconvinced. And nothing has changed their minds during the first six months of Milosevic's trial, which was supposed to force them to confront the atrocities committed in their name.
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| 1990 |
Milosevic is elected President of Serbia.
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| 1991 |
Fighting begins in Croatia between Croats and ethnic Serbs. Fighting breaks out in Slovenia with the Yugoslav Army, but ends after 10 days.
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| 1992 |
War breaks out between the Bosnian government and Serbs.
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| 1995 |
Milosevic signs the Dayton peace agreement to end the war in Bosnia.
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| 1999 |
NATO bombings begin after Milosevic refuses peace agreement with Kosovo Albanians.
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| 2002 |
Trial charging Milosevic with war crimes begins.
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Instead, pressure on the Serbs to reassess the recent past -- and hand over more suspected war criminals -- as a condition for international aid is often interpreted to mean that their whole nation is on trial, as Milosevic has repeatedly asserted from the dock.
This has disturbing consequences. The two most wanted men in the Balkans after Milosevic -- Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his top general Ratko Mladic -- remain at large. Both have become increasingly idolized as national heroes since the hunt for them was stepped up, reflecting an enduring "pro-Serb, anti-world" outlook among some sections of society.
When international donors responded to Milosevic's extradition by pledging more than $1 billion to help rebuild Yugoslavia, many Serbs hoped this latest chapter in their turbulent history was closed. After being ostracized by the outside world for a decade, they are aggrieved to discover they will have to do more to win international acceptance.
Politicians in Belgrade grudgingly accept the need to cooperate with The Hague tribunal, but do not challenge the widespread belief that it is biased against Serbs, who are deemed no more to blame than their adversaries for the 250,000 lives lost in the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
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Slobodan Milosevic
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