Retired American General Wesley Clark, known for his role in NATO’s bombing of Serbia in 1999, recently accused Serbia of being a Russian “player” in the Balkans and the main source of destabilization in the region.
Clark made these statements while being a guest with the renowned journalist Christiane Amanpour on CNN.
“Russia’s hand is felt in the Balkans. Serbia is Russia’s arm in the Balkans. President Vučić is smart. He aims to appear as if he is playing a double game, but when the moment comes, he will do what Putin asks. And what he wants from Putin is, of course, authorization to use his soldiers in Kosovo, or at least to invade half of northern Kosovo, and perhaps even more. At the same time, he wants to divide Bosnia, take the Republika Srpska, and make it part of ‘Greater Serbia.’ All of this is about ethnic cleansing in the Balkans,” said Clark.
Such a statement provoked predictable stormy reactions in Serbia, and among the first to speak was Aleksandar Vulin, a great defender of Serbia’s President, Aleksandar Vučić.
“Before Wesley Clark starts talking about violence in the Balkans, he will first need to apologize to the families of the murdered Serbian children and all those whose lives he changed forever with his crimes. The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, will only do what the Serbs ask of him, both at the beginning and at the end, and the Serbs asked for and received peace, but also freedom, from their president. I know that Wesley Clark thinks he lost the opportunity in 1999 to destroy Serbia forever with bombing while it was weak, but there will not be another chance,” threatened Vulin.
Of course, Vulin is known for his passionate defense of Vučić, which often crosses the boundaries of rationality. His statements usually contain a mix of hyperbole and drama, making them difficult to understand without proper context. According to Vulin, Vučić is truly an angel of peace, and Wesley Clark is the main culprit for everything bad that has ever happened to Serbia.
Ironically, Vulin’s response comes at a time when the international community is increasingly highlighting Serbia’s connection to Russia. In the end, Vulin’s narrative seems like another attempt to divert attention from real problems and create an image of Serbia as a victim of the great world powers.
