Serbian Historian: Operation Storm Belongs to Them Historically
Milan St. Protić told N1 Serbia that Operation Storm is a legitimate celebration for Croatia, and accused the Serbian authorities of false pathos and manipulation of victims.
Milan St. Protić told N1 Serbia that Operation Storm is a legitimate celebration for Croatia, and accused the Serbian authorities of false pathos and manipulation of victims.
Serbian historian Milan St. Protić, in an extensive interview with N1 Serbia, parts of which were carried by Index.hr and Zadarski list, argued that the outcome of the military-police operation Storm is something that historically "belongs" to Croatia.
"Honestly, Croats have something to celebrate. They got the result they wanted, and historically speaking, it belongs to them. Dirty things happened on both sides; that's war. There are no clean wars or those from partisan films. Wars are inhumane, and no one can emerge from them with clean hands and a clear conscience," Protić said.
The historian also reminded that the policy of then-Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević ended catastrophically for Serbs, and that today's government in Belgrade is its direct successor.
Protić particularly criticized the way Serbia and Republika Srpska commemorate the suffering of the 1990s. He described the commemorations in Belgrade and Mrkonjić Grad as manifestations full of "false pathos and crocodile tears."
"And now, for who knows how many times, this is being marked, both in Belgrade and Mrkonjić Grad, with all that false pathos and crocodile tears. That emotion is, of course, fake. They don't care about the people who suffered. If they did, they would have pursued a different policy or opposed it," Protić stated, as reported by Zadarski list.
Commenting on the fate of around 200,000 people who lost everything and the fact that the case has no legal epilogue even after three decades, Protić offered a brutally honest answer. "The victor has always imposed their legal solution. War is resolved on the battlefield, not in court. You lost there, and in the meantime, you also committed wrongs. That others also committed wrongs is on their conscience. The evil of the other side cannot justify the evil we committed," he emphasized.
Protić believes that Serbia has never had the courage to realistically assess the responsibility and consequences of the 1990s policies. "We never had the courage, intelligence, or will to realistically and soberly assess the responsibility, policy, and consequences of the 1990s. We never admitted to ourselves how disastrous that policy was, and we still feel its consequences today," he said.
The historian claimed that the Serbian people are still victims of manipulation. "Of course they will play that card. It's easy to manipulate a wounded nation like we became then," Protić said, adding that this manipulation continues today, whether through promises about Kosovo or falsifying the past.
"And when they beat their chests and swear that Kosovo will 'eternally' be Serbian, while knowing the truth. And when they falsify Serbian history, whether to deny or glorify Serbdom, they do it solely for their own interests," he said.
Protić reminded that Belgrade systematically rejected everything that could lead to a compromise, including the attempted agreement between Rašković and Boljkovac, the Z-4 Plan, and the opinion of the Badinter Commission. "In the end, they left those people in the lurch, unprotected, to suffer such a miserable fate," he said.
In that context, he noted the absurdity that even after 30 years, there is money for projects like EXPO and Belgrade Waterfront, but not for refugees. He also posed a rhetorical question: "How to justify that in such a large Republic of Serbian Krajina, the Croatian army swept everything away in four days?"
Protić fiercely criticized the presence of members of the special unit Red Berets at the memorial service in the Church of Saint Mark, calling it proof of distorted criteria. "First, you don't give speeches at a memorial service. Where do they give speeches in church? The priest gives the sermon; you go to church for divine service, not to hold speeches with a microphone. And then the Red Berets show up, 'great Christians and Orthodox,'" he said.
On the other hand, he surprisingly positively assessed Patriarch Porfirije's speech in Mrkonjić Grad. "The messages were good, provided that what he said was sincere. That's the message we've been waiting for decades," Protić said. However, he added that the deeds of the Serbian Orthodox Church so far have not matched those words: "His conduct since he ascended to the throne of Saint Sava does not correspond to today's words. Let's hope he experienced an enlightenment like Saint Paul, whose words he quoted today."
Protić concluded that to escape the "swamp" the region is in, it is crucial for each nation to confront its own responsibility, rather than waiting for the other side.
"One must not live in the belief that everything done in our name was 'right' and 'clean,' and everything foreign 'dirty' and 'evil.' That is proof that none of these nations has matured and that they still feed on that kind of infantilism that often brings unimaginable horrors," he said.
