[LINK] "Things have changed"

[rfmcdonald]

The Prague Post features the commentary "Times Have Changed" by Srdjan Jovanović, a doctoral student in the Czech Republic from Serbia, comparing and contrasting the trajectories of the Czech Republic and Serbia over the past half-century. The Czechs once lived in a repressive Communist state isolated from the world while Serbia lived in a liberal enough Communist state open to the same world. Times, obviously, have changed.

While the Czechs debate the merits of the Lisbon Treaty, Serbia’s dark side was back in the news last month with the capture of fugitive war crimes suspect Radovan Karadžić.

Not too long ago, things were much different. If I hadn’t personally witnessed the situation as it was and is (in both Serbia and the Czech Republic), it would be hard to believe, but I have, and it seems clear that roles have been reversed.

A friend from Belgrade speaks of an acquaintance, a Serb from Novi Sad who went to Czechoslovakia — some three decades ago, able to travel with the so-called “red Yugoslav passport” — and fell in love with a girl. The couple promptly got married and moved back to Novi Sad to settle down. She soon gave birth to a baby boy. A few years passed and she received Yugoslav citizenship and the valuable red passport. Within months, she was off with her new travel papers, leaving husband and child forever, never to be heard from again.

Today, a Czech seeking Serbian citizenship would be considered insane. The Czech Republic is a part of the European Union and faring well, all things considered. Serbia, on the other hand, has in the past few decades gone through at least four wars and remains mired in conservative nationalism and religion. Since communism’s collapse, the two countries have gone completely separate ways. Czechs chose progress; Serbs chose madness. The diverging paths emerged quickly, leading to the questions: How did this happen? What’s next for Serbia? Are their lessons to be learned from the Czech path?

Jovanović isn't hopeful that Serbia's trajectory will change enough.