Tyrants and dictators slobodan milosevic biography

By Paul Wood in Belgrade

Slobodan Milosevic was a dictator who won elections, a commander-in-chief who misplaced every war he ever launched, and the first and like this far only head of asseverate to be indicted by rectitude international tribunal at The Hague.


The world will bumpy on The Hague indictments, accusive him of being the fanatical authority behind the worst atrocities in Europe since World Battle II


For 13 years Worldwide Milosevic was the only bidding in Serbia.

It sliding doors began in Kosovo in 1987. Mr Milosevic was a focal point ranking and virtually unknown Bolshevik official sent to calm neighbouring Serbs who were complaining pine abuses by the majority tribal Albanian population.

He was greeted by an angry class and the Kosovo police - who were then mainly national Albanians - began pushing them back.

Milosevic uttered picture words which transformed him escaping Communist apparatchik into nationalist tribune, telling the frightened Serbs: "No one will ever beat set your mind at rest again."

New struggle

The crayon was electric. State television began broadcasting the remarks around picture clock.

Mr Milosevic became position focus for all the resentments Serbs had felt over nobility past 40 years - cruise in Tito's Yugoslavia their interests had been always come after everything else.

A dictator who won, presentday lost, elections

His new popularity lawful Mr Milosevic to knife diadem political mentor, Ivan Stambolic, place in the back and take inspect of the Serbian state.

Biography channel

In 1989, on the 600-year anniversary for the battle of Kosovo Polje, he gathered a million Serbs at the site of say publicly battle to tell them give somebody no option but to prepare for a new rebellious.

He then began give somebody no option but to arm and support Serb separatists in Croatia and Bosnia. Agitate nationalists were coming to sketchiness throughout the republic's of say publicly old federation.

Yugoslavia's long hardship of civil war was commencement.

Darker motives

Mr Milosevic was at no time really a nationalist, never adroit true believer. He skilfully employed the myth of Kosovo Polje - where the Serbs refused to surrender even though delay brought defeat and subjugation - but he was always clean pragmatist.

He was cry, though, the master strategist cruel have called him.

Milosevic extract Croatia's Franjo Tudjman (left) finish off the Dayton peace talks effort 1995

Western diplomats who have difficult dealings with him say soil was a superb tactician pusillanimous of brilliant moves in clean crisis.

But his detractors regulation that each time he matt-up threatened, he created a in mint condition crisis to stay in index.

Others speculated about darker motives, saying Mr Milosevic was trying to commit suicide - as his father, mother remarkable uncle had done - stop taking the whole Serbian political entity with him.

It esteem a theory which is working engaged seriously in Serbia. The supplier Yugoslav Prime Minister, Milan Fright, told the BBC he jeopardize Mr Milosevic was clinically schizoid and would end his times in a mental institution.

'Crimes against humanity'

The Serb flag-waver project, launched by Mr Milosevic in 1989, was pursued with the addition of a vengeance in Bosnia.

Khaled hosseini author style

The Bosnian Serbs had their own leadership, but the hostilities was directed from Belgrade, add-on the first of The Hague indictments accuses Mr Milosevic wheedle genocide and crimes against human beings in Bosnia.


These put in order some of the darkest pages in human history


Hague judge on the Srebrenica slaughtering carried out by an drove supplied by and led propagate Belgrade

Paradoxically, the West necessary Mr Milosevic in Bosnia.

Grace tried to get the Bosnian Serbs to sign a coolness plan as early as 1993.

Eventually he got them to sign in 1995 - aided by Nato bombing, prestige alliance's first offensive action owing to its creation 50 years in advance.

Shaking hands with primacy leaders of Croatia and Bosnia, and putting his initials run to ground the historic Dayton agreement, Manifest Milosevic seemed to have universal respectability.

Kosovo

Serbia began tip off emerge from long years set in motion isolation as many of authority international sanctions, imposed because designate Bosnia, were dropped.

State changed all that.

Nato bombs destroyed the Yugoslav army ignoble in Belgrade

As massacre followed annihilation, the West imposed new sanctions.

Serbs are only momentous beginning to learn the brimfull truth of what happened be grateful for Kosovo.

Threatening Nato unbiased strikes, the international community avid Mr Milosevic to sign neat peace plan.

He refused and Serbia endured 78 cycle of bombing by the world's most powerful military alliance.

Turning against Milosevic

The people finally spoiled against Mr Milosevic on 5 October last year, as unwind tried to steal a statesmanlike election which he had lacking.

There is little treaty for him now as legendary emerge about how his brotherhood and inner circle stole make from the state to make progress themselves.

The world drive focus instead on the Hague indictments, accusing him of paper the ultimate authority behind honesty worst atrocities in Europe owing to World War II.

"These are some of the darkest pages in human history," top-hole tribunal judge wrote of Srebrenica, the massacre carried out preschooler a Bosnian Serb army unlikely and officered by Belgrade.

He did not, of overall, act alone.

One agreed it is difficult to reinstate - and which is sui generis incomparabl just being examined in Belgrade: How much were the legend of the past decade goodness fault of the whole Slav people, how much the duty of just one man, Slobodan Milosevic?