Bosnian Terrorist On The Loose

I saw this warm and fuzzy story on the BBC two days ago: Major criminal flees Bosnia jail

A notorious criminal in Bosnia, deemed a national security threat, has gone on the run from prison in the central town of Zenica.

The man, Karray Kamel bin Ali, also known as Abu Hamza, was serving a four-year sentence for armed robbery and domestic violence.

Bin Ali, who was born in Tunisia, was previously suspected of plotting to kill the late Pope John Paul II.

He came to Bosnia during the Balkan wars of the early 1990s.

Bin Ali was over half-way through his recent sentence.

The authorities at the high security prison in Zenica, in central Bosnia, granted him leave for good behaviour, allowing him to visit his family.

[...]

When he came Bosnia in the early 1990s, he fought with the al-Mujahideen unit against the Serbs and Croats.

He was granted Bosnian citizenship after marrying a local woman, and became integrated within the theologically conservative Wahhabi Muslim community....

This whole thing is just a tad suspicious for me. I think someone was complicit in helping this creep escape. And doesn't this make you feel so safe now, knowing this war criminal is on the loose? Truth be told, he's probably got a valid passport so he can travel abroad if he wants.

Happy Birthday!

I just wanted to wish my mum a very happy birthday today--or, as we say in Russian: С днём рождения!

Keep An Eye On Michelle

My mum discovered a blog called Rosita the Prole. It's quite an amusing blog, and it contains the following passage from this post which is quite interesting:

I’m keeping an eye on Michelle: I think she could be the canary in the coalmine. Obama is an evil twink. He’s full of hate and rage, he’s not normal, and there’s really nothing holding him to this world. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings. The wife on the other hand, while a thug, is normal. She thought she was doing well for herself by marrying a light-skinned, upwardly mobile black man whom many people seem to consider attractive, and she has, but at what price. It seems to me that the wife loves her children and loves her mother. This doesn’t endear her to me, it just makes me think she’s kind of normal. So, if the wife takes her children and her mother and gets out of D.C. very quickly, that will make me think that the evil twink is up to no good. That the wife knows something is coming. End parens. Back to regularly scheduled programming.

It's quite an interesting way to look at Michelle Obama, isn't it? I don't like the woman, but I have always thought that she is more normal than her husband is.

I Have Returned

My dear readers, I returned to the United States late last night from my trip to Russia. I had a fantastic time--Russia was even better than I imagined. Ukraine was completely different than I'd expected and I'm very glad I got to see it.

I'm not sure how I'm going to go about posting about the trip. I don't think I'll do the whole thing in one post because that won't fully do it justice. I'll probably epically post about it over a course of many days, interspersed with other posts so you don't get sick of reading about Russia (I never get sick of Russia, but I realize that not everyone shares my enduring interest).

Also, sometime when I was abroad, my blog was added onto the blog list over MasterRussian.com, so I just wanted to say how honored I am about that.

Keep checking back for posts and, once I organize them, photos of Russia.

Srebrenica Party Week

Note: I am currently in the Russian Federation, so this is scheduled post. Stay tuned for a couple more scheduled posts and pictures when I get back.

Also, I cannot take credit for the title of this post. It was inspired by this post over on Julia Gorin's blog.

It's July 13, people. And you know what that means: it's the anniversary of the alleged Srebrenica massacre, perpetrated by those nasty genocidal Serbs, troublemakers of the Balkans, against the wonderful, peace-loving, tolerant Bosnian Muslims. Seriously, everywhere you look, those Serbs are just stirring up trouble in the Balkans. I mean, they just had to be rebellious and not convert to Islam during their centuries of rule under the Ottoman Empire. And they got their nasty, genocidal revenge on Muslims during the 1990s, didn't they?

Or not. The Serbs fought for their survival, pure and simple.

So, today is a very sad day for those of us in the West because it represents how we let the Muslims of the Balkans, as well as unscrupulous Western reporters, propagate disgustingly mendacious propaganda to defame an innocent people, the Serbs.

And today must be a very happy day for the Muslims in the Balkans because it represents how they finally got their coveted genocide (even though they themselves say that only men were killed at Srebrenica). The Muslims desperately want a Holocaust perpetrated against them because they are so envious of the Jews. The Muslims, though they are not an ethnic group, want the sympathy that is shown to the Jews about the Holocaust (rightful sympathy, I will add). With Srebrenica, and the events in the Balkans in the 1990s, the Muslims finally got their coveted genocide--except that there was no genocide against them. Rather, they were committing genocide against the Serbs.

So, let's do something different this year: in honor of Srebrenica, let's reject the propaganda about the Balkans and Srebrenica.

It's been fourteen years since the alleged massacre at Srebrenica already. It's time the truth came out and the Srebrenica issue was laid to rest where it belongs: with all the other myths and falsehoods of history.

Remember Paul Klebnikov

Note: I am currently in the Russian Federation, so this is scheduled post. Stay tuned for a couple more scheduled posts and pictures when I get back.

Five years ago today, Paul Klebnikov was murdered in Moscow. I wrote a tribute to him here and a review of his excellent book here.

I hope that people take a bit of time to remember Klebnikov. The world lost an excellent, intelligent, and scrupulous reporter when he died, as well as a wonderful human being. In the years since his death, I don't feel that Klebnikov has really been remembered properly. He did so much excellent writing and reportage, yet it seems to me that Anna Politkovskaya is better known in the West. Politkovskaya is the poster child, if you will, for murdered journalists. Yet calling her a journalist is a generous designation--propagandist is more fair and accurate.*

Compare Google searches of Klebnikov and Polikovskaya's names: searching Anna Politkovskaya on Google generates 294,000 results, while searching Paul Klebnikov generates a mere 47,600. That means searching Politkovskaya's name brings up a little more than six times the amount of results that searching Klebnikov's name does.

Paul Klebnikov was an excellent reporter and meticulous researcher. He published facts and he knew Russia. He must not be forgotten. He deserves to not be forgotten. We must not let pro-Chechen propagandists be unfairly remembered as journalists of equal stature to Klebnikov simply because we like the pro-Chechen view.

My thoughts are with Klebnikov's family on this sad day. Let us do the right thing and remember Paul Klebnikov.

*This is not to say that Politkovskaya's death was not a tragedy, because it was. Murder is always a tragedy. But I do not believe that Politkovskaya was not half the journalist that the media says she was, and I am planning an essay about this thought that will be published when I return.

Image credit.

Obama Visits Russia

Well, Obama has completed his much-talked about trip to Russia. I wouldn't call it a success by any means--in fact, I think it was an utter failure. Obama made many gaffes and certainly didn't endear himself to the Russian people.

I am going to discuss five interesting news stories and one individual's blog post, all of which relate to the Russia visit.

From Fox News: Obama: Putin Has 'Enormous Influence' But Medvedev Is My Counterpart

President Obama acknowledged Tuesday that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin still casts a long shadow in his country, but dismissed suggestions that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is little more than a Putin prop.

"I think that President Medvedev is my counterpart, the president of Russia," Obama said in an interview with FOX News Tuesday. "The prime minister, who I just met today, obviously still has enormous influence."

Uh, no. With the way the Russian government is set up, both of those men are your counterparts, Mr. Obama. The President of Russia is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Russia heads the government. Though the President of Russia is more powerful, both the Prime Minister and the President hold executive power. In America, by contrast, the President of the United States is both head of state and head of government. Just because Dmitry Medvedev has the same title as Obama does not mean that he is Obama's sole counterpart. The leader of this country ought to know this basic knowledge.

Next article, from Politico: President Putin

This article just contains a video in which Obama repeatedly calls Vladimir Putin "President Putin", despite the fact that Putin has not been President of Russia for over a year now. When a journalist points out Obama's mistake, Obama says that Putin "used to be President". Yeah, no fooling, buddy. Get foreign leaders' titles right from now on so you don't make a fool of this country--oh wait, it's a bit late for that...

Next article, from a particularly odious section of USA Today called the Oval, which serves the sole purpose of "tracking the Obama presidency": Obama breakfasts with Putin

The one thing I want to share about this article is the awkward picture of the two of them shaking hands:


No comment.

Next, a rather odd article from The Other Russia: Obama Meets with Russian Opposition

On Tuesday July 7th, US President Barack Obama met with representatives of the Russian opposition in Moscow. The lunch meeting, which took place in the Ritz-Carlton hotel, brought together a wide group of politicians not connected with the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. Notables on the invite list included Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, United Civil Front leader Garry Kasparov, Right Cause chairman Leonid Gozman, and Yabloko party leader Sergei Mitrokhin. Each representative was given five minutes to speak.

Topics of discussion included the new trial against jailed Yukos oil company bosses Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, and the US missile defense system.

During his talk, Garry Kasparov presented Obama with a list of opposition figures who have been persecuted and killed recently, as well as a list of prisoners serving politically-motivated sentences in Russia.

[...]

Vladimir Ryzhkov, an independent politician and former head of the Russian Republican party, told journalists that the meeting was “absolutely open.”

[...]

The fact that the meeting took place at all was also significant, Ryzhkov said.

"The last US president who met not only with authorities, but with the opposition was Bill Clinton."

The overwhelming question I have about this article is why. Why would he ever want to meet with the opposition? It's completely inappropriate, especially when done in the capacity as a visiting foreign leader. These people aren't in power. They have no political say right now, and meeting with them is completely pointless--unless one wants to antagonize the Kremlin, of course. So much for resetting US-Russia relations.

I was also glad to see that Bush never met with the opposition. He knew it would be inappropriate. Clinton obviously didn't, and neither does the fool in charge now.

Last article, from Reuters, which somewhat relates to the blog post I'll be discussing: Obamamania? Not in Russia for presidential visit

For once, the adoring crowds were absent as Barack Obama visited Russia this week.

Feted in many countries as a global superstar and accustomed to rapturous welcomes when he travels at home and abroad, the U.S. president received a more muted response during two days of talks in Moscow.

Instead of cheering crowds lining the streets, Obama's motorcade was greeted with some smiles and waves as it sped through the Russian capital. Most people looked on, showing little reaction.

[...]

"We are maybe the one country in the world where there is no Obamamania," Sergei Markov, a parliamentary deputy from the ruling United Russia party, told Reuters.

"For us he is not president of the world but the president of the United States of America."

All I have to say is: good for Russia. Obama isn't president of the world and should not be treated as such.

Now, for the blog entry I present this gem from La Russophobe, entitled The World Hates Vladimir Putin.

In other words, the world loves Obama and it hates Putin.

Based on a poll of twenty countries, La Russophobe concludes that world opinion (and I hesitate to use that phrase because I don't think this poll truly represents that) is much higher for Obama than Putin. And because Russians like Putin way better than Obama, they must out of touch with reality.

Well, I think the Russians are some the last sane people left in the world because they have not succumbed to this stupid Obamamania. Perhaps they see him for the fraud he is. And La Russophobe's logic is faulty, as usual: just because Russia doesn't agree with something that many other people do agree with, they're automatically wrong. That kind of reminds me of children wanting to do something just because everyone else is doing it, and who must be reined in by their parents saying, "If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you too?" And don't forget: the Russians are probably going to hold a special sort of fondness for their leader over a foreign one.

All in all, the Russia visit affirmed my dislike for Obama and increased my respect for the Russians for refusing to grovel before him.

Karadzic Immunity Deal: No Legal Standing

Poor Radovan Karadzic. He thought he was safe from prosecution after he was promised immunity by Richard Holbrooke in 1996. Unfortunately, he did not realize that Holbrooke is one of the most unscrupulous liars in this country.

The tribunal that is trying Dr. Karadzic has said repeatedly that there was no promise of immunity. But now they seem to have gotten scared that this promise might actually exist and are now saying that even if Dr. Karadzic was promised immunity, it does "not have legal standing".

The BBC reports:

The Hague tribunal has rejected the argument by former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic that he should not be prosecuted because of an immunity deal.

Mr Karadzic said the former US peace envoy Richard Holbrooke had promised him immunity from prosecution if he gave up politics.

Mr Holbrooke has repeatedly denied there was any such deal.

The UN court said even if there was, it did not have legal standing, and that Mr Karadzic's trial should go ahead.

Mr Karadzic, 64, faces 11 charges including genocide.

He says Mr Holbrooke, then the US envoy to Bosnia, agreed to provide him with immunity at a meeting with his representatives in Belgrade on 18-19 July, 1996.

[...]

The court said on Wednesday that even if such a deal was struck, it would be irrelevant because Mr Holbrooke was not acting with the authority of the UN Security Council.

And of course, Mr. Holbrooke doesn't care if he didn't have the authority to promise immunity because he's not the one facing a trial on fabricated charges and a possible conviction with a life sentence in prison, is he?

Russia, Here I Come

On July 9, my mom and I are leaving for a trip to the Russian Federation and Ukraine. I will be gone until July 27. I will be going to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and loads of places in between. At the end of my trip, I'll be in Kiev for a few days.

Don't go away while I'm gone, dear readers. I am going to schedule at least two posts during the time I'm abroad. And don't forget that pictures will follow when I return.

I won't have computer access when I'm gone, so I will not be able to answer any emails or moderate blog comments, though I will of course do so when I get back.

RT: 'Obamamania bypasses Russia'

The more I learn about the Russians, the more I like them. If this article from Russia Today, Obamamania bypasses Russia, is accurate, then the Russian people have risen considerably in my eyes. Some excerpts from the article:

During a visit to Moscow, the U.S. president will have to fight skepticism in Russia of both his policies and his image.

Good for the Russians!

The expert [i.e., Mihail Neizhmakov, previously mentioned in full article] believes that Obama’s efforts to boost image are more effective in Europe than in the countries of the Middle East. Will the upcoming visit help him to boost his image in Russia?

Well, thank you, Russia Today, for pointing out the obvious about Obama's foreign policy in Europe vs. the Middle East. And I wouldn't count on his image in Russia being improved, at least with the government and people who support the government, due to his decision to grant the far-left opposition paper Novaya Gazeta an interview.

According to the poll conducted by Levada Center at the end of June, only 42 percent of respondents believe that the Russian-U.S. relations will improve dramatically or even slightly after Obama’s visit to Moscow.

Almost 40 percent of those polled said that relations would not change at all. However, only three percent of respondents believe Russian-U.S. relations might deteriorate after the meeting of the leaders of the two countries. One is left to guess how long it will take to wait until the “reset” in U.S. relations with Russia becomes fruitful.

Oh dear, I think they were making fun of the reset button incident in that last sentence there.

Obama will try to boost his image in Russia, despite it not being his main task in Moscow, observers believe. His decision to grant an interview to the Russian liberal newspaper Novaya Gazeta is interpreted as one of his attempts to achieve this. The paper is famous for criticizing the authorities.

I find this interesting--this is how the Russians view Obama's upcoming Novaya Gazeta interview, and I agree: he's trying to boost his image. I also think he will fail miserably. Later in the article, a person is quoted as saying that he thinks the government is okay with the interview. All in all interesting stuff from a source that's supposed to be a "Kremlin-sponsored propaganda tool".

Obama will deliver a speech before students of the New Economic School in Moscow. The school’s director of development, Aleksey Sitnikov, told Svobodnaya Pressa (Free Press) website that the students were going to ask Obama if he knows who Ksenia Sobchak is.

I feel proud, because I know who Ksenia Sobchak is. But I bet Obama doesn't.

All in all, an interesting article on an interesting topic. Personally, I think our relations with Russia are going to get a lot more interesting and amusing because Obama, to put it lightly, does not know what he's doing, but Putin does. Putin will enjoy playing with Obama, so to speak, as well as making a fool of him.

I dislike Obama quite a bit, so I, for one, will be very amused.

Happy July Fourth

I just wanted to wish my readers a happy July Fourth to all my readers. My country turns 233 today. Here's some relevant reading material I want to share with you:

• An article from the Los Angeles Times (of all places) about July Fourth (thanks to my mom for finding it)
• The Declaration of Independence (it's as relevant today as it was when it was written)
• The Constitution (scarily enough, one of the people who needs to read it most is the President of the United States)
  

That's all for now--I hope everyone is having a happy fourth with good food, good fireworks, and patriotic thoughts.

Spineless Britain

It amazes me that this country was once the greatest empire in the world. From the BBC: 'Iran trial' for UK embassy staff.

Some UK embassy staff detained in Tehran and accused of inciting protests after disputed elections will face trial, a top Iranian cleric says.

Guardians Council chief Ahmad Jannati said: "Naturally they will be put on trial, they have made confessions."

Nine embassy staff were held in Tehran last weekend. Britain says all but two have now been freed.

EU governments are to summon Iranian ambassadors to protest against the detention of the embassy staff....

And what is stupid, stupid Britain doing? "Protesting" to ambassadors. What a spineless bunch of people--they should be going into Iran and rescuing these poor people. If they did indeed make confessions, then there's no doubt they were subjected to torture.

Where are the people who were so opposed to us waterboarding terrorists? When we apply enhanced interrogation techniques to people who want us dead and have important information, it's torture. But when a rogue foreign country puts diplomatic officials on trial because of alleged confessions, no one bats an eyelash. It's truly amazing.

In fact, I propose that all civilized countries should close their embassies in Iran because of the complete disregard that the Iranians display towards diplomats (i.e., the events of 1979 and now this fake "trial" of those poor British embassy officials).

Book Review: 'Khrushchev'

There's a good reason why William Taubman's Khrushchev: The Man and His Era won the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 2004: it's an excellent book about an extremely complex and often oversimplified man.

Nikita Khrushchev is remembered best for the infamous shoe-banging incident at the UN in 1960, as well as his words to the West: "We will bury you." Americans traditionally view Khrushchev as our former adversary in the Cold War. Russians, on the other hand, are rather split in their views of Khrushchev, with about half viewing him favorably and half unfavorably. And of course there are the former Soviet Bloc countries, some of which despise Khrushchev, especially the Hungarians for what happened in 1956.

Taubman chronicles Khrushchev's entire life, from his humble origins as a peasant and worker born in a town on the border of Ukraine and Russia to his spectacular rise in the Communist Party, to his complicity in the crimes of the Stalin era, to his struggle to be Stalin's successor, and finally his spectacular fall and tormented retirement.

What makes this book extraordinary is how human Khrushchev appears. He's often oversimplified as a monster or simply a bad person, but Taubman shows that he was much more than that. Though he was very poorly educated (he barely even went to school), he was extremely intelligent and clever, as evidenced by his winning the struggle for leadership after Stalin's death (he was able to best the conniving and evil Beria). Yet, once he was at the top with absolute power, he grew complacent and did not see the plot that would remove him until it was put into action.

Khrushchev was, at the end of his life, a deeply unhappy man. When asked what his biggest regrets were, he said he regretted not being educated (pg 43) and blood: "My arms are up to the elbows in blood," he said (pg 639).

Khrushchev's legacy will continue to puzzle us because although he was involved in the bloody repression of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (which led to Khrushchev being called the not-so-flattering nickname "Butcher of Budapest"), he did free people from the Stalin era camps, as well as pave the way for later reforms that would eventually bring down the Soviet Union. Likewise, Khrushchev was responsible for de-Stalinization during his time as Soviet leader, yet he was an accomplice to Stalin during Stalin's rule.

Khrushchev was a complex and fascinating person, and deciding how to judge him historically is difficult--and Taubman himself seems to agree.