MASTILOVIĆ: STORM WAS A CONTINUATION OF THE NDH'S GENOCIDAL POLICY

Even today, the streets of Sarajevo bear the names of notorious Ustasha war criminals, well-known neo-Nazis, and even members of the 13th SS Handžar Division, Mastilović stressed.

By: Ognjen Begović EAST SARAJEVO, AUGUST 1 /SRNA/ - The notorious military-police Operation Storm, like other offensives carried out by Croatia during the past war, represents a continuation of the NDH’s genocidal policy against Serbs-part of a long-standing concept whose consequences are still felt today, said Draga Mastilović, Director of the Institute for Historical Studies at the University of East Sarajevo, in a statement to SRNA. According to him, Storm was the final phase of the Independent State of Croatia's /NDH/ genocidal objective, to completely purge Croatia of all "undesirables," primarily the Serbian population. "All of it is part of a much older concept dating back to the mid-19th century, whose consequences we've endured throughout the 20th century, and still do today, a concept aimed at ethnically cleansing the space from the Drina River to the Adriatic Sea of the Serbian Orthodox people," Mastilović emphasized. This, he said, is why the 20th century was truly a century of suffering for the Serb people, especially west of the Drina. EUROPE FAILED TO RESPOND TO THE NEO-FASCIST CONCEPT Mastilović stressed that the role of the international community is highly questionable, as Serbian scholarship has yet to answer historian Radovan Samardžić's long-standing question: when was the international mechanism for committing genocide against the Serbs created? "From today's perspective, it is perfectly clear that Yugoslavia was dismantled with the support of the international factor, primarily Germany. What's deeply troubling, however, is that this process was accompanied by overt neo-Nazism and neo-fascism-essentially, a re-fascistization of Croatian society and parts of BiH," Mastilović explained. He noted that Europe not only failed to recognize, but also failed to react to this neo-fascist resurgence and the agenda that remained unfinished after World War II. When discussing the role of the international community, Mastilović said that one must not forget the United States, especially under former President Bill Clinton, and subsequent US administrations. "If we look at the map of the Balkans today, we can see that the post-Yugoslav space increasingly resembles Hitler's order in this region. So, what happened in the 1990s has deep historical continuity," he said. EFFORTS TO BREAK SERBS' NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS CONTINUE - EVENTS IN SERBIA A WARNING SIGN Mastilović underlined that this continuity persists today, through processes of disintegration of the Serbian people, destruction of national consciousness, and territorial seizure. He questioned how aware the Serbs, and their political and intellectual elites, are of these processes, stating that only the naïve would believe that current events in Serbia are about Aleksandar Vučić's leadership, anti-corruption efforts, or any similar issues. According to Mastilović, this is part of a strategy to weaken Serbia, making it easier to confront the "last remnants" of the Serb people west of the Drina River. "Of course, Republika Srpska will remain the primary target," he warned. He pointed to the ongoing persecution of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, which the international community ignores, just as it did in the 1990s when Serbs were expelled from Croatia. Regarding Montenegro and North Macedonia, Mastilović said the process there has taken the form of de-Serbianization. He believes that recent developments in Serbia should serve as a warning, as certain international actors and global power brokers appear eager to finalize longstanding geopolitical agendas. Through these processes, Serbs, one of the key elements of the Balkans, are to be reduced to a people with no meaningful influence in the region. "If Serbia is weak, then Serbs in the region, and wherever they may be, are weak too. That's why I believe Serbia is now under attack, as part of preparations for something very grim that could befall the Serbian people," Mastilović concluded. NEO-NAZISM STILL ALIVE IN CROATIA AND PARTS OF BiH For this reason, Mastilović stated, Serbs must be aware that the neo-Nazism and fascism that flared up in Croatia and parts of BiH during the 1990s remain present to this day. "Even today, the streets of Sarajevo are named after notorious Ustasha war criminals, known neo-Nazis, and even members of the 13th SS Handžar Division," he stressed. He pointed out that beside the Catholic cathedral in Sarajevo lies the grave of Archbishop Ivan Šarić, one of the chief ideologues of the Ustasha movement and a supporter of war criminal Ante Pavelić. "As a people, we must recognize these historical messages. If we are to survive in these lands, and the pressure is already immense and growing, Serbs must live and act in unity," Mastilović said. He expressed hope that the Serbian people, and more specifically, their political and intellectual elite, will find a way to ensure the survival of Serbs in these areas, especially west of the Drina River, but also in Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Metohija, Vojvodina, and beyond.