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86 从权利之颠坠落的米洛舍维奇
Milosevic Fall From Power: A Look Back
Laurie Kassman
London
29 Jun 2001 20:03 UTC
Slobodan Milosevic maintained an iron 1)grip on power for 13 years. He rose from low-level Communist ranks to become a 2)defiant nationalist leader who, in 1987, promised to defend his Serb nation against all enemies.
But his 3)ambition to create a greater Serbia eventually brought four wars and the 4)disintegration of the six-republic Yugoslav Federation.
In 1989, he 5)revoked the 6)autonomy of the Serbian province of Kosovo, angering the ethnic Albanian majority there, but greatly pleasing supporters of a greater Serbia. His nationalist 7)rhetoric also fueled 8)separatist movements in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia.
Slovenia successfully seceded after only a few days of fighting, but the republics of Croatia and Bosnia were turned into 9)bloody battlefields in the early 1990s.
Diplomats who dealt with Mr. Milosevic describe him as a 10)pragmatist who thrived on crisis and often managed to position himself as the solution to 11)ethnic conflicts he had himself 12)ignited.
Even though his name was linked to repression and massacre in Bosnia, the West had to negotiate with him to reach a peace agreement there in 1995.
But Balkans expert John Alcock, of Britain's Bradford University, says the former Yugoslav leader's miscalculation of the domestic and international tolerance for his actions eventually led to his 13)downfall. "He didn't realize that the West was not prepared to tolerate keeping Yugoslavia at any cost. So there has been a whole succession of misperceptions [by Mr. Milosevic] of the domestic political scene and also the international political scene, which are responsible for his downfall," Mr. Alcock said.
The West finally lost patience in 1999 when Mr. Milosevic refused to withdraw his troops from the Serb province of Kosovo and end his 14)crackdown on ethnic Albanians there.
Ex-president Milosevic is led to jail in The Hague. The West could no longer 15)turn a blind eye after a flood of 16)refugees brought reports of 17)massacres and 18)assassinations.
At the time, British politician William Hague directly blamed Mr. Milosevic. "There is one person above all who must take the blame for the enormous suffering in Kosovo, one person who must take the blame for enormous suffering in other parts of the Balkans during this decade. That person is Milosevic who must be regarded as an evil man with much blood on his hands," Mr. Hague said.
Britain's defense minister at the time, George Robertson, labeled Mr. Milosevic "a serial ethnic 19)cleanser."
In March 1999, British Prime Minister Tony Blair justified NATO's use of force in Kosovo as the only language the Yugoslav dictator would understand. "It was Milosevic who stripped Kosovo of its autonomy in 1989 and it is Milosevic who is now refusing to tackle a political problem by political means," he said.
Mr. Milosevic lost control of Kosovo in 1999. The International War Crimes Tribunal 20)indicted him as a war criminal the same year.
Still, he refused to give up power and 21)amended the constitution in 2000 so he could seek re-election. He tried to 22)manipulate the election when it was clear he had lost it. The move backfired.
Thousands of angry Serbs took to the streets. The popular 23)revolt finally forced him from power last October. The reformist candidate who had won the election was sworn into office.
Mr. Milosevic was arrested in March 2001 on charges of corruption. He was closely monitored in jail by officials afraid he would try to commit suicide as both his parents had.
Most Serbs agreed it was only a matter of time before he would be sent to the 24)tribunal in The Hague.
Today, Slobodan Milosevic 25)awaits trial on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his 1998 crackdown on Kosovo's ethnic Albanians. He will also be charged with war crimes for his role in the Croatian and Bosnian conflicts.
Mr. Milosevic had always portrayed himself as the savior of the Serb nation. Balkans expert John Alcock says he will be remembered instead as someone very different. "He will go down in history also as a leader of Yugoslavia who has actually by his actions precipitated the end of his own state."
Ironically, Slobodan Milosevic was taken to the tribunal in The Hague to face charges of war crimes in Kosovo exactly 12 years to the day after he went to Kosovo and gave the speech that established him as the self-26)proclaimed defender of the Serb nation.
(1) grip[^rIp]vt.紧握, 紧夹n.掌握, 控制, 把手v.抓住
(2) defiant[dI5faIEnt]adj.挑战的, 挑衅的, 目中无人的
(3) ambiton[Am5bIF(E)n]n.野心, 雄心
(4) disintegration[dIsIntI5^reIF(E)n]n.瓦解
(5) revoke[rI5vEJk]vt.撤回, 废除, 宣告无效
(6) autonomy[C:5tRnEmI]n.自治
(7) rhetoric[5retErIk]adj.花言巧语的
(8) separatist[5sepErEtIst]n.分离主义者, 独立派
(9) bloody[5blQdI]adj.血腥的, 嗜杀的
(10) pragmatist[`prA^mEtIst]n.实用主义者, 爱管闲事的人
(11) ethnic[5eWnIk]adj.人种的, 种族的, 异教徒的
(12) ignite[I^5naIt]v.点火, 点燃
(13) downfall[5daJnfC:l]n.衰败, 垮台
(14) crackdown n.压迫, 镇压, 打击
(15) turn a blind eye to v.熟视无睹
(16) refugee[refjJ:5dVi:; (?@) 5refjJdVi:]n.难民, 流亡者
(17) massacre[5mAsEkE(r)]n.大屠杀v.残杀, 集体屠杀
(18) assassination n.暗杀
(19) cleanser[5klenzE(r)]n.清洁剂, 使清洁的东西
(20) indict[In5daIt]vt.起诉, 控告, 指控, 告发
(21) amende[B:`mCNd]n.道歉, 赔偿
(22) manipulate[mE5nIpjJleIt]vt.(熟练地)操作, 操纵(人或市价、市场) vt.(熟练地)操作
(23) revolt[rI5vEJlt]v.反抗, 起义, 反叛, 反感, 厌恶
(24) tribunal[traI5bju:n(E)l]n.法官席, 审判员席, (特等)法庭
(25) await[E5weIt]vt.等候
(26) proclaim[prE5kleIm]vt.宣布, 声明, 显示, 显露
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