Conversation with Slobodan Despot
I'd like to start with a question about Antipresse, a average you're the editor-in-chief, and all about your media activity.
– Antipresse is an online magazine that has been published continuously all Sunday since 2014, for 432 weeks, over 8 years. I founded it 8 years ago, initially as a kind of gag – to exposure all lies, forgeries, and above all comic publications and media information. Later, it became a serious warehouse, a number of associates appeared. We print 20 pages all week. We have already published over 4,000 articles of over 300 different authors. We have become an international, French-speaking platform not only of opposition and counter-reformation, as the French say. We treat this as a way of analysis and reflection from a certain distance, philosophical and geopolitical approach to phenomena that mainstream media treat at a very narrow angle. This narrow angle is to keep people from thinking, and we're trying to grow this angle. We usage sources in various languages – American, Russian, Chinese, Indian. We have a very interesting occupation and I have already abandoned my first work of publisher and author of books, including novels. I practically only do this due to the fact that only the chronicle of events since 2020, erstwhile this coronavirus dystopia began, would be the most interesting and crazy of the novel. So our magazine is simply a fresh of our time.
As we all know, censorship has become an increasingly serious problem, at least since 2020, since the time you mentioned. What about the situation in Switzerland? How much does this covert informal censorship apply to the media there? Was it hard to run a task like Antipresse?
– I separate 3 levels of censorship. There's formal censorship erstwhile you can't talk about something, it's forbidden, sometimes even by law. There is informal censorship erstwhile individual warns us, prevents us from talking about something, or unofficially punishes us for it. Finally, it is the most serious and most severe form of self-censorship. People working in conventional media know, learned and organically realize that there is simply a red line that absolutely must not be crossed. They sense it. They're talking about it in a veiled way somewhere in a cafe on the street. There are no literal rules here. It's just that certain things aren't allowed to be dealt with. Let me give you a very loud example from here, from Switzerland. As you most likely know, Switzerland is theoretically neutral. It was theoretically neutral during and after planet War II. This was beneficial to the russian Union and to the Western Allies, due to the fact that they had specified a space in the mediate of Europe, a place to exchange. A company called Crypto AG appeared in Switzerland after the war. It produced information encryption machines for peculiar services. It was a very unusual company founded by an immigrant from Sweden. She sold those machines all over the world. And somewhere in the 1960s, this company went into the hands of fresh owners. It was the CIA and German intelligence. And from then on, the encryption machines began to be holed in the sense that the company's owners had access to the transmitted messages. Thus they could capture all the messages and all the communication in the world. The Swiss authorities couldn't have known that. They knew who the real owner was. The company utilized assurance in Swiss quality, neutrality. The machines produced by it were utilized by the British during the Falkland Islands War, which allowed them to destruct Argentine ships. At the same time, the Swiss Embassy in Argentina organized peace talks between Argentina and the UK, although at the same time Switzerland supported the latter. And what happened erstwhile this scandal came out? The company's sign disappeared due to the fact that it became harmful to the state's image. No one's explained anything. We published a long series of articles on this subject, but others kept quiet about it. It was the same during the pandemic.
At the time, all media understood, as if organically, that power should not be criticized now. If the authorities found that we would be vaccinated against death to live forever, they would say that “yes, yes” that “there is discipline behind it.” That was ridiculous. And after all, after it turned out that the lockdown policies were a failure and vaccines were ineffective – no 1 drew any conclusions. Everything's the same. They kept quiet and continued to do so. I think that's what happened in all countries. On the another hand, I must say to you that Switzerland is simply a tiny confederation consisting of 26 theoretically independent cantons. Each of them has its own authority and the law in force in them can be very different. This effective decentralization allows you to hide behind different regulations in any way. This means that central authorities cannot impose certain things on people, as they do in another countries, especially in France, which is built like a pyramid of power and has long been a totalitarian state. France is simply a totalitarian country. Yesterday I met a young man who runs his YouTube channel for the French, but he does it from Switzerland. He's a Frenchman who lives in Switzerland due to the fact that he's not blocked by law here. It may be blocked by YouTube, but not by French law, due to the fact that here, in Switzerland it feels, at least for now, free. Me too.
So decentralization and a strategy specified as Swiss favour the preservation of remnants of free speech.
- Yes, exactly.
You're from Serbia. That is why I would like to talk about what happened in Serbia in the late 1990s. You didn't live in Serbia at the time, but you were most likely watching what was going on...
Of course.
Just late we had the anniversary of Poland's accession to NATO. Political class, elites celebrating. Many believe that the first armed conflict in which NATO showed its actual face of an aggressive bloc was just aggression against Yugoslavia in 1999. Do you think – can we say that this was the minute from which it all began? I mean the aggressive, armed policy of the North Atlantic bloc.
– Of course, it was a founding moment. But it did not begin in 1999, but with the break-up of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. With the dissolution of the russian Union of Yugoslavia as a state remained without allies. And then the West, in peculiar Germany, began to destruct this fragile, complex federation of nations. It wasn't hard. It was adequate to give money to those who campaigned hatred towards their neighbours and simultaneously block the sanctions of those who wanted to last this country. That was enough. Of course, this led to a war in Croatia in 1991, later in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992. Incidentally, the first Serbian bombing occurred in 1994 in Bosnia. Later, the situation in Bosnia was somewhat calmed by agreements with Dayton in the United States. However, the West has done as it has done late with the Minsk Agreements, ignoring these agreements signed by it on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Then, in connection with Kosovo, an American interview, the CIA, made an argument to force Serbia to accept unacceptable contracts. This was before the war of 1999, at a conference in Rambouillet, France. Serbia had to participate. It was requested that Serbia resign from Kosovo 1 way or another. Above all, however, they tried to force Serbia to consent to the presence of NATO troops throughout its territory. For this the then president Miloszević, who was not hostile to the West at all – he was fundamentally a pro-Western man, had to say, "No, I can't do that." As a result, the bombings began, which lasted 78 days. Americans in their conventional folly have already declared that after 3 days Belgrade will pray for peace. That's not what happened. As a result, the war for NATO proved to be a loss. In fact, it did not origin major losses in the Serbian army. As a consequence of these air strikes 125 or 200 soldiers were killed, I can't remember exactly, and respective 1000 civilians.
Including the Albanians they allegedly wanted to defend...
– First of all, the Albanians they were expected to defend. Of course, many civilian infrastructure facilities were besides destroyed. It was the most serious damage. But they did not win on the battlefield. They won negotiations by promising Serbia to keep its sovereignty over Kosovo. This was confirmed even by UN Resolution 1244. Of course, they later held a referendum on Kosovo's independence. Western powers cannot be believed. Their signatures to the wind and papers are no more than paper. I drove there and wrote books about it, and we watched it all. I even participated in earlier negotiations that were held in Geneva. And always since then, it has been clear to me that the West cannot be believed. That it creates an aggressive structure that persists only by utilizing force. It justifies its existence solely by tension, force and general destabilisation. There would be no destabilization, tension and force if NATO did not exist. NATO is the only origin of what she pretends to be fighting against.
You mentioned Germany. I realize what their business was and why they wanted Yugoslavia to break up. It is part of the conventional geopolitical game and Berlin, and Vienna, in the case of Austria – inactive from the time of Habsburg. But what were the interests of the NATO government? Why would they want to break up the remainder of what's left of Yugoslavia so badly?
– As far as the Germans are concerned, as you can see now – although they are a nation of engineers, rational and science-based – the foundations of their policies are always completely irrational. They have never accepted defeat in conflict in the Balkans. They received a immense blow there. They never managed to master Serbia during planet War II. Yugoslavia, or Serbia, is the only country of occupied Europe to free itself. To them, it was a bone in the throat. Earlier, the Treaty of Versailles, which, according to them, was demeaning to Germany, was in their throat. And who was guilty again? Serbia in connection with planet War I. Their hatred of Serbia and its creations, 1 of which was Yugoslavia, is passed on in subsequent generations. I think only a psychiatrist could aid here, not a politician. Therefore, they took advantage of the chance erstwhile the russian Union lacked to destruct the Treaty of Versailles, or Yugoslavia. At the same time, they gained decisive influence in Croatia and Slovenia, access to the Adriatic Sea, etc. However, in 1992, erstwhile the conflict began to spread to Bosnia, i.e. to areas inhabited by Muslims, Germany lost its position as the main quarterback. The Americans then told them that they had adequate to play, it was nice, but now it's getting serious, and that's their business now. Since 1992, the United States has been the main driver of the demolition and business of Yugoslavia. That's the most short story.
Later we learned, among others, about Bondsteel base, actually in the territory of Serbia...
- Yes, it's Serbia.
We have besides learned various theories about the destiny of this Bondsteel base, including about drug trafficking and another issues related to the American presence in Afghanistan. What another interests do you think, apart from the Pentagon's interest in military presence in the Balkans, did the Americans prosecute the plan to liquidate Yugoslavia?
– It's virtually the same script as the 1 in Ukraine. The Americans primarily follow the odor of money and follow them. The main author of the American war in Kosovo was General Wesley Clark, as well as Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. And they became the shareholders of very profitable companies in Kosovo in the metallic ore mining industry, in the telecommunications industry. Kosovo is simply a land rich in deposits – coal, uncommon earth metals. This is the first motive – the most average theft. They've just done stealing another people's assets, resources, as they say. Secondly, it is simply a very crucial area for the control of the routes to the east, between Western Europe and the mediate East. They besides knew that there would be a South Stream gas pipeline with Russian gas moving through Turkey, Greece and Serbia. Serbia was to be 1 of his crucial nodes. From Bondsteel, which was then the largest base of American troops outside the United States, many processes taking place in Europe could be controlled. In addition, it was possible to plant a circumstantial explosive in Kosovo, as they themselves admit, threatening possible war and destabilisation, as well as charges planted in Iraq, Syria and another countries. As a rule, since their soldiers are there, any threat to them can be treated as a casus belli. And they could attack individual again. I think it's over. They won't be able to hold so many explosives and military installations. However, it was part of their global network for planet control.
Can we say that the Serbs never give up, in the sense that they never accept what happened then? That it is impossible to include Serbia in the Atlantic structures due to the fact that the Serbs have taken a circumstantial vaccine against them?
- Yeah. You know, we have a peculiar situation here. After the war of 1999, we had a coup in Belgrade, a colorful revolution. The first of a series of colorful revolutions took place in Belgrade and was defeated as a consequence of it by the president, legitimate president Miloszević, who went to The Hague, where he died. Since then, all subsequent Serbian authorities have been more or little controlled by the West. Initially they were the alleged bile – Democrats, and then straight Western interviews, which are managed by the state. They understood that it was impossible for Serbs to impose specified utmost liberals. Later, their support was gained by the alleged national option of the current president Vuscić, who would never have come to power without at least accepting the West. It must so carry out the tasks set by the West, the most crucial of which is the dedication of Kosovo. It's his mission, as the Americans would say. They say to him, "You must admit Kosovo's independence, and if you do, opposition from another countries will lose meaning. But he inactive cleverly, though not very neatly, distances that position away. Like he declares joining NATO, but he doesn't. Incidentally, Montenegro, which is besides the territory of Serbia, has already joined NATO. But it is simply a tiny country. Serbia never entered NATO, and I don't think she'll always get in. However, negotiations are underway with NATO and with the European Union. At the same time, crucial economical relations with Russia are being built. It's about gas, energy, infrastructure. Where does specified a two-track policy come from? Serbia is heavy dependent on Western Europe. Many Serbs work in Western European countries. economical exchange with Western Europe is so taking place. And Serbia can now afford to introduce any kind of blocking, sanctions or visa requirement. We have a stalemate that no 1 has found a way out of.
One more question about NATO aggression. I remember that in her time a model was created, a model of NATO propaganda based on dehumanization, dehumanization. In this case, it was all Serbs, not only Serbian authorities, not only Slobodan Miloszević, but the full Serbian nation. Do you see the similarities between how the Serbs were treated at the time, with what the Western propaganda device is now doing to the Russians?
– Of course, it's the same thing. However, this is simply a different scale and uses somewhat different forms. There are quite a few Serbs in the West. There are many Russians, too, but from a sociological point of view incomparably less. Among the Russians surviving in the West, of course, there are many oligarchs, businessmen, people from specified layers. The Serbian community in the West is very diverse – among them are doctors, architects, but besides simple workers. They are besides part of the social fabric of countries specified as Switzerland, Germany. That's what it looks like. Serbs can be very easy identified by their surnames, which have an "-icz" tip, e.g. Petrowicz. I personally know people who changed names at the time in 1990. From Petrovich to Petrov or Petro, for example. I know 1 of my peers who changed his name due to the fact that he wanted to become a Swiss diplomat. due to the fact that under his name he couldn't become a Swiss diplomat, though he was a Swiss citizen. I have the advantage due to the fact that my name is Despot, which means I have a name whose origin is hard to determine. I didn't head either. Besides, I didn't head admitting to serbism either. I didn't care about the consequences. Although I stopped studying at 1 of the faculty due to the fact that I was sick of this propaganda. And I'm talking about the university department, not to mention the media during this period. With the Russians, it began somewhere in 2007 or 2008, erstwhile Putin stopped being so friendly with the West. This phenomenon was culminated after 2014. Later all of this was continued and shot. But since 2014, we have been dealing with an evident run of racism against everything Russian. How can you cancel concerts due to the fact that there's a Russian violinist on them? Or not play Tchaikovsky and replace him with Schuman? It's just crazy. And that's what happened, and that's what's inactive happening. It's an academic example of racism.
I don't know if you've heard, but we've even had attempts to cancel and boycott Goran Bregović concerts.
– Even him?
Yes, under the pretext of his supposedly pro-Russian statements.
– Bregović is simply a completely apolitical man. He most likely just expressed a individual view, or possibly he said something about culture. I don't know what he said. most likely something about Russia in the context of culture. He's not a politician.
He said nothing about politics, but he simply did not take an anti-Russian position enough. This is simply a very interesting topic: what was then done with the Serbs and now with the Russians. It's a breakthrough that meant moving the West from liberal, politically correct slogans... You remember – in 1990, these words about the equality of all nations, minorities. And we have a transition to this open racism, first to the Serbs, now to the Russians, and in the future most likely to various another nations in the planet that will defy the current political agenda. What do you think is the effectiveness of this technology? Why did the West then, NATO, manage to make specified an image of the Serbs?
– This is simply a very serious cultural and civilisational issue. I would even say that we could discuss this in a separate conversation. This is besides due to the fact that it affects various factors, specified as the separation of the church into the west and east. This, in my opinion, is rather clearly related to Orthodoxy. These Slavs, who are not Orthodox, do not attack in this way, and cannot attack, although if Poles did not behave in the way they expected them to, so can they, but not to specified an degree and not constantly. There is so cultural racism towards the Slavs, especially those who have a different alphabetical and phonetic system, who talk another, incomprehensible language. On the another hand, as you know, during planet War II we in Yugoslavia had a genocide that politicians and Western historians have not yet full talked about. They do not want to examine it and it remains indescribable. Hundreds of thousands of Serbs were murdered in alleged independent Croatia, which was of course a German satellite, but inactive recognized by France, the Vatican, all Western countries. According to the constitution of this independent Croatia, the Serbs, more specifically the alleged Greek schismatists, did not have the right to exist. We should have just annihilated them. This is in the constitution itself. Yet even the 3rd Reich had no constitutional evidence of the necessity of the liquidation of Jews. It was done quietly. And in Croatia, it was virtually written. The reason for this genocide was straight religious. It is this factor, alongside the Protestant origin and Moscow's ambition to become the 3rd Rome, that has been inflated to the gigantic size of specified a balloon of deficiency of knowing and hatred which is presently destroying our full continent.
This action is based on the rule of "share and rule." It's interesting what you said due to the fact that we're experiencing the same thing. It is very easy to set up part of our Catholic society against the Belarusians, the Russians, our east brothers belonging to the Russian world. Same thing happened to you. I mean Croatians, who in a linguistic sense are almost no different from Serbs.
– In an cultural sense, too. Genetically, Croats are no different from Serbs.
Thank you for talking to me.
Matthew Piskorski spoke
Slobodan Despot (born 1967 in Sremska Mitrovica) is simply a Swiss writer, essayist and book publisher. He's from Serbia. He is the editor-in-chief of the French-language portal Antipresse.net.
photo of wikipedia
Przemyśl Polska, nr 13-14 (24-31.03.2024)
