The entire Balkans region has erupted in conflict and tragedy.  In this section you will find news, analysis, and information about the causes and background of these often confusing and emotional events.   See also the Other Languages section for more on The Balkans.

• English
• Serbo-Croatian
• Macedonian
• Chinese

In English:

• The real interests that lie behind NATO's entry into Macedonia
  Nato is to send 3,500 troops to Macedonia with the stated aim of disarming the Albanian rebels who have been involved in armed conflict with the Macedonian army. NATO is going in because Macedonia is on the verge of open civil war. If this were allowed to spread and get out of control it would have far greater consequences than simply that of destabilising Macedonia itself. It could bring Greece and Turkey (both NATO members) into a war where they would be fighting on opposite sides thus seriously weakening NATO's south eastern flank. (by Fred Weston, August 21, 2001)

• Why Macedonia?
  We have received this article from Alek Atevik in Skopje, Macedonia. It analyses the historical background and the situation facing Macedonia today. Particularly striking is the reference to workers strikes. As the author points out, when it is a question of defending jobs and wages, such as at the Yugohrom factory, there is no divisions between Albanians and Macedonians. Workers' unity cuts across the ethnic divide! (22 June 2001.)

• Macedonia - the next powder keg?
  What is unfolding in Macedonia today [March 2001] confirms what we have always said. There will never be a solution to the National Question on the Balkans so long as the underlying economic and social problems remain. After NATO thought they had brought the situation in Kosovo under control, the situation across the border in Macedonia is flaring up. By Fred Weston. (March 15th, 2001)

• Three months after the fall of Milosevic - The effects of the so-called "Democratic Reform" on the Serbian economy
  Dragan Draca, editor of Crveni Kriticar looks at the state of the Serbian economy three months on from the fall of Milosevic. (January, 2001)

• "Balkans Syndrome" - We Told You So
  In April of 1999, at the beginning of NATO’s brutal air war against Yugoslavia, we produced the article Is NATO using Depleted Uranium in Yugoslavia? The long term effects of the war. Now, our predictions have tragically come true. (January 15, 2001)

• Yugoslavia - Workers take independent action
  Following the collapse of the Milosevic regime, the working class of Yugoslavia have moved to reassert their class interests. While Vojislav Kostunica attempts to restore "order" after the mass movement that overthrew the old regime, miners, carworkers, lecturers and other layers turned on their old bosses. By Rob Sewell. (October 12, 2000)

• Conspiracy theory and the Yugoslav events
  There is a very old tradition in Balkan politics to resort to conspiracy theories to explain everything. There is always some dark plot brewing in some foreign chancellery or other, some obscure forces that are supposed to be manipulating events for god knows what purpose. Such stuff is as inseparable from Balkan political comment as Hail Marys from a nunnery or sex scandals from Bill Clinton's bedroom. After the overthrow of Milosevic, we are now informed that it was all the result of a conspiracy. By Alan Woods. (October 10, 2000)

• Revolution and counter-revolution in Yugoslavia
  The events in Yugoslavia represent a political earthquake. In the space of 24 hours the entire situation has been transformed. The decisive element in the equation has been the sudden eruption of the masses on the scene. The scenes of an avalanche of humanity descending on Belgrade, the strikes, the confrontations with the police, the storming of the Parliament, have captured the imagination of the world. What is the meaning of the events in Yugoslavia? What is the nature of this movement? And what attitude should Marxists take towards it?" Also available in Serbo-Croat. (October 6, 2000)

• The Revolutionary Movement in Yugoslavia
  Heiko Khoo gives us a first look at the tremendous movement of the masses in Yugoslavia. We invite all our readers in the Balkans to contact us! Build YFIS in Serbia and the Balkans! Also available in Serbo-Croat. (October 5, 2000)

• The Church Question in Greece: Reaction rallies under a religious flag
  The political climate is hotting up along with the weather. The streets of Athens and Salonika are filled with noisy demonstrators waving flags and placards directed against the Pasok government of Costas Simitis (the Greek Tony Blair). But these are demonstrations with a difference. At the head march black-robed bishops of the Greek Orthodox Church, who claim to represent the big majority of the Greek people. By Alan Woods (July 3, 2000)

• Kosovo: One Year Later
  Owen Jones takes a look at the situation in Kosovo a year after the NATO bombings. His conclusion? Only the unity of all the peoples of the Balkans can resolve this nightmare! (March 20, 2000)

• British TV documentary exposes NATO lies about Kosovo
  This recently aired documentary confirms what we have said all along - that NATO used lies and propaganda to justify the savage bombing of Yugoslavia, affecting Serbs, Albanians, and all others in the reigon alike. (January, 2000)

• The "Butcher of the Balkans" Arrives in Greece
  A brief look at the protests in Greece during Bill Clinton's recent visit.   (November 21, 1999)

• Why Marxists oppose both Milosevic and the "opposition" in Serbia
  The press in the West have been highlighting the opposition movement that has been developing in Serbia. They have been announcing the imminent fall of Milosevic ever since the ending of NATO's bombing campaign. Ted Grant and Fred Weston analyse this "opposition" and outline the position of Marxists. (September 1, 1999)

• New Balance of Forces Emerges After the War in Kosovo
  This article looks at the effects of the war in Kosovo on international relations, the perspectives for the opposition movement in Serbia, the situation in Kosovo and the relations between the KLA and NATO, and stresses the need for an independent working class internationalist policy. Ted Grant and Fred Weston. (July 15, 1999)

• Marxism and the National Question
  This short article by Alan Woods, was originally written for the Galician language magazine "Onte e Hoxe" and it deals with the general position of Marxism in relation to the national question and also explains the position in relation to Kosovo. (July 7, 1999)

• Letter to Serbian Socialists
  This is the greetings letter we sent to Serbian Socialists on the opening of the new site for the rehabilitation of Marxism in Yugoslavia Crveni Kriticar. It is refreshing to see how even after all the reactionary nationalist poison which has contaminated the Yugoslavian political life for the last decade there are still those who raise the banner of socialist internationalism. (June 30, 1999)

• Reply to David James
  More on the history of Yugoslavia!  A polemic which took place in 1949 when some argued that Tito was "material for the Fourth International". By Ted Grant. (Spring 1949)

• Behind the Stalin-Tito Clash
  We reprint this article by Ted Grant, first published in the July 1948 edition of Socialist Appeal which analyses the real reasons behind the split between Tito and Stalin.

• NATO's Messy Entry into Kosovo
  NATO has not achieved a "victory" in Kosovo. It has not achieved its war aims. The TV and the press are attempting to convince public opinion that the bombing campaign has achieved its objectives. But as in all wars the first casualty is the truth itself. Anyone who wants to understand what is really happening must be careful not to be blown off track by the propaganda machine of the bourgeoisie.  (June 16, 1999)

• Interview with Dragan, a Marxist from Belgrade
  An interview done just before the "peace deal" in Kosovo.  "A socialist and internationalist policy is the only way to successfully fight imperialism and domestic Stalinists."  (June 6, 1999)

• The Kosovo Peace Talks in crisis:  NATO's New Lies
  History repeats itself, wrote Karl Marx. First as tragedy, then as farce. After the most inept military campaign since the Crimean War, we are now treated to the spectacle of the most ridiculous diplomatic bungling in history.  (June 8, 1999)

• A Democratic Socialist Federation of the Balkans:  the only road to real peace
  72 days of NATO bombing have shattered Yugoslavia, its infrastructure, its economy, the homes and jobs of hundreds of thousands of Serbs and Kosovars have been destroyed, not tmention the lives lost, and for what?  (June 4, 1999)

• The Destruction of Yugoslavia
  The U.S. national security state--which has been involved throughout the world in subversion, sabotage, terrorism, torture, drug trafficking, and death squads--is now launching round-the- clock aerial attacks against Yugoslavia out of humanitarian concern for Albanians in Kosovo. Or so we are asked to believe. By Michael Parenti.   (Written May 11, 1999)

• US/NATO Hypocrisy Exposed as Turkey Attacks Kurds
  Turkey, a member of the US-led NATO alliance that is bombing Serbia with the claimed aim of ending the oppression of the Kosovar people, is viciously escalating its attacks on the Kurdish people within and without its borders. (April 21, 1999)

• Is the United Nations a solution for the Balkans Conflict?
  So is the UN really a viable solution for the conflict in the Balkans?  If the bombing were being carried out under the banner of the UN would we support it?   Are the missiles and bombs launched by the UN any less destructive than those of NATO?  (June 1, 1999)

• The War in Yugoslavia FAQ!
  Check out these 12 questions and answers on the war in Yugoslavia for a clear explanation of the issues involved.  This was produced as a pamphlet by our comrades in the Spanish Student Union.  (May 21, 1999)

• Lies, Damn Lies and Maps: How NATO & the Media Misrepresented the Chinese Embassy Bombing
  Opponents of the war against Serbia argue that much of what passes for news these days is really a kind of war propaganda, that NATO puts out misinformation and the media disseminates the stuff uncritically.  Check out this brilliant expose of NATO and the media's "Wag the Dog" style methods!

• Support For War Wavering!
  Support for the war is wavering in the US and abroad amongst NATO countries. Recent polls taken in the US show a decrease in support for the war and an increase of support for negotiations. (May 18, 1999)

• NATO Looks for Nearest Exit
  The situation in the Balkans is changing from day to day, even from hour to hour. We here publish an analysis of the recent developments together with the full text of our May Day statement, which, in our view, retains its full validity.  (May 13, 1999)

• Did NATO want Yugoslavia to reject the Rambouillet Accords?
  Find out some of the real content of the 'peace deal' which was 'offered' by NATO. (May 11, 1999)

• A month into the bombing campaign:  A Marxist analysis of the Balkan crisis
  Ted Grant and Alan Woods analyse a month of bombing campaign, the perspective of a ground war, the possibility of a compromise, and offer a socialist alternative.  Read this article in Serbo-Croatian. (April 27, 1999)

• Catholicism and Fascism:   a Brief Retrospective
  A look at the role played by the Church in fascist Germany and Croatia during WWII.   Submitted by Robert Nordlander (April 24, 1999)

• Spanish students against NATO
  Thousands of students participated yesterday (April 20th) in Spain in a national day of action against the bombing of Yugoslavia. The protest was called by the Students Union (Sindicato de Estudiantes). (April 23, 1999)

• First strike against the war in Italy
  On 3rd April 100,000 people marched in a demonstration in Rome against the NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia. A week later another demonstration of over 50,000 took place. There is a lot of opposition to the NATO bombing among the workers and youth in Italy in spite of the government's support.

• The Yugoslav Inferno
  For more than 100 years, the democratic and progressive forces on the Balkans have striven to overcome national divisions and hatreds, and to unite the peoples of the Balkans on the basis of a federation, based on genuine equality and fraternal relations. However, on a capitalist basis, the idea of a Balkan Federation remained a hopeless utopia. An outstanding analysis of the break-up of Yugoslavia written at the beginning of the conflict. (by Alan Woods, June 1992)

• Collateral damage and the Zastava workers
  Yesterday NATO forces killed 10 civilians when they hit a passenger train which "happened to be on a brigde", and last week a NATO missile was "seduced off its target" into a residential area in Pristina killing a Turkish family. This article asks why NATO bombed the Zastava car factory when its workers had publicly announced they would be occupying the factory site. The Zastava workers have a proud tradition of struggle and two and half years ago protagonised a bitter strike under the slogan of "the factory is ours". (April 13, 1999)

• "The point is in changing the world, not only in understanding it"
  (Letter from Belgrade) (April 12, 1999)

• Is NATO using Depleted Uranium in Yugoslavia?
  The effects of Depleted Uranium, which is basically radioactive waste used in the production of ammunition and tank armor, is an extremely toxic material. Its radioactive effects last for 4.5 billion years. There is increasing evidence that D.U. is partly responsible for "Gulf War Syndrome" and is causing genetic defects among the Iraqi population. There is compelling evidence that D.U. ammunition was used by NATO in the 1995 bombing of Bosnia, and some say it is also being used in the current bombing campaign in Yugoslavia. (April 12, 1999)

• NATO to target Yugoslav TV and radio stations!
  Frustrated by the complete disaster of their bombing campaign, NATO generals now demand that Yugoslav TV and radio stations broadcast 6 hours of Western propaganda a day!. But what kind of news are we being fed? (April 9th, 1999)

• Disaster in the Balkans - Stop the NATO bombing!
  NATO's bombing campaign enters into its third week having achieved none of its alleged "humanitarian aims" but on the contrary having worsened the situation. Thousands of Kosovo Albanians have been forced to flee, Milosevic is stronger than ever and innocent civilians are being bombed all over Yugoslavia while a massive propaganda campaign is launched by imperialism to try and justify its actions. Ted Grant gives a Socialist perspective.(April 7, 1999)

• Kosovo and the bombing of Yugoslavia - A new crime of imperialism
  A detailed analysis of the causes and perspectives for the conflict in the Balkans from a socialist internationalist point of view. This article deals with the real reasons for imperialist intervention, the role of imperialism in the berak-up of Yugoslavia, the danger of an all-out war in the Balkans and it advances the slogan of the Socialist Federation of the Balkans as the only solution. Alan Woods.(March 26, 1999)

• Yugoslavia: Oppose NATO Aggression!
  NATO war planes have rained down bombs on Yugoslavia killing men women and children. It is a bloody act of naked aggression by the big imperialist powers, who are using a "humanitarian" cover for their ruthless pursuits. Rather than bringing peace, the bombing has brought a trail of suffering, bloodshed and death and threatens to plunge the whole region into open war. Read an internationalist analysis. Ted Grant. (March 25, 1999)

• Kosovo: No to NATO Intervention!
  The decision of NATO to send troops to Kosovo marks a decisive turning-point. British Defence Secretary George Robertson has announced in parliament that the 4th Armoured Brigade will be sent from Germany to the war-torn province of Yugoslavia. Officially, NATO has not yet approved the intervention. But NATO ministers have already agreed to dispatch up to 30,000 if a peace deal is brokered between the Yugoslav government and the rebels of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). As usual, the imperialists present their actions as a "humanitarian peacekeeping operation". In fact, they are pursuing a dirty game of power politics in which the lives and rights of the peoples are just so much small change. (February 1999)

• The Kosovo Pogrom and the Balkan Powder-keg
  "No-one, it seems, has learned anything on the Balkans since 1991." (Financial Times, editorial, 9/3/98.) The scenes of massacre of men, women and children in Kosovo have disturbed the conscience of civilised people everywhere. What is the meaning of this? What is the solution? And how should the labour movement react? Alan Woods analyses the situation and puts forward, as the only solution, the Socialist Federation of the Balkans with full autonomy for all peoples. (March 12, 1998)  Also available in Spanish.

• Albania, The Paris Commune and the February Revolution
  This article, written by Alan Woods just before the June elections, reviews the election campaign and the several incidents which happened during this, an interview with the leader of the Vlora Committee, Shyti, and draws the lessons for the Albanian revolution from previous revolutionary movements which only went half way. (June 23, 1997)

• The Albanian Revolution in Danger
  An update on the situation in Albania written by Alan Woods on April 27, after the arrival of the international intervention force.

• The Meaning of the Albanian Revolution
  Written by Alan Woods on March 16, 1997, this is a complete analysis of the events in Albania. Includes a historical background section and a detailed explanation of the meaning of the Albanian revolution and lessons for socialists internationally.

• Albania in Revolution
  First analysis of the Albanian revolution writen by Alan Woods on March 7, 1997, for the Spanish Marxist paper El Militante (email: elmilit@arrakis.es). The failure of the pyramid schemes is just the accident which started the revolution of the Albanian workers, peasants and youth against the corrupt pro-capitalist regime of Berisha.

• Serbia: Democracy or Counter Revolution
  December 1996 and January 1997 have witnessed mass demonstrations and protests against election rigging in Serbia. This article analyses the class nature of this movement and offers a way forward for workers in the whole of the former Yugoslavia.

• The Dayton Agreement: a Solution for Bosnia?
  October 1995 saw the signing of the Dayton agreement which had the intention of putting and end to the civil war. At that time Marxists already warned that this agreement, forced by imperialism, could not solve any of the problems of the peoples of the area.

In Serbo-Croatian:

• The Revolutionary Movement in Yugoslavia
  Heiko Khoo gives us a first look at the tremendous movement of the masses in Yugoslavia. We invite all our readers in the Balkans to contact us! Build YFIS in Serbia and the Balkans! Also available in Serbo-Croat! (October 5, 2000)

• Zasto se marksisti suprotstavljaju i Milosevicu i "opoziciji" u Srbiji
  This is the Serbo-Croatian version of: Why Marxists oppose both Milosevic and the "opposition" in Serbia

• Mesec dana bombadovanja: Marksisticka analiza Balkanske krize
  Svakoga dana zvuk ratnih bubnjeva je sve glasniji. Stranice novina, televizijski ekrani i radio emisije su preplavljeni bujicama propagande namenjene podgrevanju ratoborne histerije. Kakva namera se krije iza ove barazne vatre? This is the Serbo-Croatian version of: A month into the bombing campaign: A Marxist analysis of the Balkan crisis

In Macedonian:

• Jugoslavija: Sprotivsaveni na agresijata na NATO!
  This is the Macedonian translation of: Yugoslavia: Oppose NATO Aggression!

In Chinese:

• Stop the Bombing of Yugoslavia! (In Chinese)
  With the recent bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Chinese anger against NATO and the West has been unleashed.  We provide here a Marxist analysis of the situation in Yugoslavia in Chinese.