User:Antidiskriminator/Drafts of articles/Demonisation of the Serbs

The Demonization of the Serbs or the Satanization of the Serbs (Сатанизација Срба) was systematic planned and deliberate demonization of the Serbs pusued in Western media as a propaganda technique and war strategy during the Yugoslav Wars of 1990's. The Serbs were presented as Nazi-like aggressive expansionists who are the most responsible for the Yugoslav wars, depicted as particularly genocidal sometimes referred to as "beasts" and "monsters". The campaign started in Germany in 1991 and continued when Croatian and Bosnian Muslim side in Yugoslav Wars employed the PR professional companies (like Ruder Finn) for propaganda campaign.

The demonization of the Serbs received significant coverage in numerous works. Many authors criticized demonization of the Serb, some even referring to it as racist, while some emphasized that demonization of the opposed society and its government is an usual war strategy which is difficult to avoid in the contemporary wars because otherwise most people would be unwilling to support the conflict. Some authors denied that Serb demonization existed finding it as an invention of the extreme Serbian nationalists who forged conspiracies against Serbs, while some presented demonization of Serbs as simple diversity of opinions.

Background
The demonization of Serbs which is generally connected with Western media and Yugoslav Wars, though there is an opinion that it began even before 1990's. In period 1987—1991 (between the fall of the Berlin Wall and outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars) politicians of all ethnic groups of Yugoslavia accepted extreme nationalistic discourse which routinely demonized the "other".

The breakup of Yugoslavia (early 1990's)
According to Nenad Perić, the campaign of Serb demonization started in July 1991 with barrage of articles in the German media publishing almost daily decsriptions of Serbs such as "militant Bolseviks" who “have no place in the European community”. The campaign did not stop in Germany because two sides in the Yugoslav Wars, Croatian and Bosnian Muslims' engaged US public relations companies for propaganda campaign. The demonization of the opponent is a war strategy conducted by the PR professional companies (like Ruder Finn) during the breakup of Yugoslavia and Yugoslav wars. When Slovenians, Croats, Bosniaks and Macedonians decided to leave Yugoslavia at the beginning of 1990's the Serbs were dehumanized and demonized by the media in the West. This demonization successfully presented Serbs as the most responsible for the Yugoslav wars in the mainstream Western media.

Journalism had an important role in the breakup of Yugoslavia, especially in successful satanization of Serbs. The mass media regularly demonized Serbs who were presented as particularly genocidal sometimes referred to as "beasts" and "monsters". After being first demonized in the media Serbs became demonized in the eyes of American citizens and government. Although the demonization of Serbs together with sanctions imposed to Serbia created a need for national unity the Milošević's socialistic party gradually lost the support of the citizens of Serbia and, starting from 1992, was forced to form minority governments with other parties eventually having the support of only around 20% of citizens.

During the Yugoslav wars atrocities were committed by all sides. In cases when perpetrators of some of the atrocities were nationalist extremist of Serbian ethnicity Western media would accuse the entire Serb nation ("the Serbs") instead using precise terminology like 'Serb extremists' in order to present an entire Serb nation as being in conflict with the whole world. Demonizing of the nationalists of Serb ethnicity was accompanied by "angelizing" Tuđman's nationalists of Croatian ethnicity and Izetbegović's nationalists of Muslim. The Government of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia appealed against demonization of the Serb nation. Svetozar Vukmanović Tempo emphasized that the demonization of Serbs was used as an excuse to introduce UN Sanctions against Serbia and Serbs and isolation of Serbia from the rest of the world.

Kosovo war (late 1990s)
Former Yugoslav minister of foreign affairs Živorad Jovanović estimated that satanization of the Serbs was particularly increased during Rambouillet negotiations with aim to present Serbs as "bad guys" who are responsible for the obstruction of the negotiations with Albanian "good guys".

Demonization of the people from the beginning of the 1990's was replaced with a demonization of Slobodan Milošević. With the beginning of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia this propaganda pattern had to be modified to again include Serbian people who elected their leader. Demonization of Serbs as incurably nationalistic with Milošević merely responding to their obsession was oversimplification of the reality.

Media from USA regularly portray conflicts involving their country as struggle between good and evil presenting the leader of the opponent as devil's incarnation. In case of NATO attack on Yugoslavia, NATO propaganda demonized Serbs and Serbian president Slobodan Milošević presenting NATO attack on Yugoslavia as a war between NATO humanitarian forces and satanic Yugoslav forces led by Milošević portrayed as Hitler. At the early stages of NATO bombing of Yugoslavia the Guardian published a text which blatantly demonized Serbs presenting majority of them being `legally and morally incompetent' to carry out their own affairs so their state has to be put under the custody. One of the main reason for a group of people from all parts of the world to establish the International Committee to Defend Slobodan Milošević was what they referred to as unprecedented demonization of the Serbian people. The members and supporters of this committee were numerous scholars and intellectuals including Klaus Hartmann, Peter Handke, Ramsey Clark and many others.

Demonization of Serbs and Milošević by media in United States and European NATO countries was mirrored by Serbian demonization of NATO.

Criticism
While some authors find demonization of the enemy a necessity of modern era wars the other believe that any form of ethnic demonization is unacceptable and that it is necessary to reject demonized images of the Serbs not because they should be idealized but to dispute biased propaganda which justified NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.

Many scholars (like Chandler, Woodward, Burg, Hayden, Shoup, Cohen or Kent) refuted demonization presented in practically all mainstream accounts of the period such as texts of Judah, Nordland, Gutman or Cohen published in the Newsweek, The Time, The New York Times or Time. Patrick Besson believed that the biggest concentration of opponents to the satanization of Serbs was in France. British historian Jeremy Black was opposed to the practice of demonization of the opposed society and its government finding it difficult to avoid in contemporary wars and emphasized that the majority of modern people are unwilling to accept any "less than Holocaust" justification explaining "Serbs are like Nazis and therefore we must act" argument used during 1999 crisis on Kosovo. Some authors criticize leftist scholars for disputing the guilt of Slobodan Milošević referring to their works as conspiracy theories, attributing “enemy of my enemy is my friend” approach to them (because Milošević resisted the USA imperium). Some authors find a discourse of undisguised demonization of the Serbs which depicted them as aggressive expansionists had actually a racist tone. Serb satanization is a consequence of the unbalanced good-against-evil positions toward conflicting parties in the Yugoslav wars. Rodney Atkinson emphasized that biased texts in the British press created the myth about Serbs being "nationalists".

Controversies
There are authors who believe that demonization of Serbs belongs to the self-victimization discourse of extreme Serb nationalist and that demonization process went in opposite direction because Serbs invented conspiracies against themselves and consequently demonized the whole world, except for several countries they perceived as friendly. Sabrina P. Ramet explains that those who committed massacres can use demonization as useful tool for self-victimization and maintaining a positive image. Marko Atilla Hoare emphasized that "demonization of Serbs" was actually a diversity of opinions blaming "left revisionists" for "demonizing the media". Some authors reject allegations of "demonization" of the Serbs as fantasy of people who are actaully responsible for underrating of cruelty and brutality of Serb nationalism and for ommission to protect victims of Serb aggressiveness. Roger Cohen a columnist for The New York Times emphasizes that "demonization" of the Serbs is a manoeuvre to turn general view of the Yugoslav Wars on its head by transforming Serbs from aggressors into victims.

Aftermath
In January 2000, six months after the end of the Kosovo War, Vojislav Koštunica estimated that Serbs were stigmatized to such extent that the consequences of the satanization of the Serbs would remain after overthrow of Milošević and after all sanctions against Yugoslavia would be removed. Zagorka Golubović explained that some Serbs were ashamed to unconditionally declare their Serb ethnicity anymore although they were actually proud of their nationality, as a consequence of the demonization of the Serbs. Since the demonization of Serbs continued in Croatia many younger Serbs decided to became Croats and converted from Orthodox Christianity to Catholicism, some changing their names to look more Croatian. In 2008 Dobrica Ćosić expressed his concerns for Serb children and future generations of Serbs because of the hatred and despise toward Serbs caused by their satanization. Danko Popović thought that intensive satanization of Serbs and Serbia made Serbs feeling inferior to other people.

In 2008 the Kosovo declared independence from Serbia and Serb bashing was again employed, while dispute was routinelly presented in Manichean terms.

In April 2013, during the thematic debate organized by the United Nations General Assembly, the president of Serbia Tomislav Nikolić stated that demonization of Serbs has prevented a development of different interpretations of the events for 20 years. In June 2013 National Assembly of the Republika Srpska issued a declaration which proclaimed that lack of the balanced and objective approach to all conflicting parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina was a basis for the numerous forms of the satanization of Serbs.

The public image of Serbia as international pariah was somewhat changed in 2015 during European migrant crisis when the Serbian government was praised for its proper handling the migrants during the crisis.