New Belgrade after 1999: Spatial Violence as De-socialisation, De-Romanisation and De-historisation

This abstract is a pre copy-edited version of my paper. It was advised during a PGCAP session that staff need to submit a pre copy-edited version onto PEARL. Once the article is published online, it will be available at the following permanent link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13264826.2014.1036491 .New Belgrade after 1999 is associated with the transition from a socialist and single-party state to a consumer capitalist and multi-party system, with the latter perceived as an indicator of democracy. This paper asks if and how this transitional period points to NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign still being in-operation through spatial violence by other means, with these means related to the negation of difference and the transformation of everyday life and social values. Might this spatial violence be even more coercive than that of the war as it manifests through the convergence of military, legal, governmental and economic entities of international “redevelopment” agencies working in the name of “security” along with the Serbian government? This paper explores this proposition by focusing on the post-1999 transformation and re-modernisation of New Belgrade as an elimination of difference through processes of de-socialisation, de-Romanisation and dehistorisation connected with neo-liberal privatisation

War Machine: Media and Technology during Operation Allied Force

One significant aspect of military interventions is that violence in binary geographies, which have an implied colonial discourse (such as Serbia), often involve the dialectics of construction and erasure, meaning that absence and presence of destruction and violence run side by side. This paper investigates the ways that technology and media were instrumentalised in miniaturising evidence and reducing the visibility of destruction during NATO’s Operation Allied Force in Serbia and Kosovo. While the dominant NATO rhetoric behind the intervention was “humanitarian” with the Operation being deployed in the name of Western values and civilisation, this text puts forward an alternative argument. The 1999 intervention was a war machine where the military-industrial-media-entertainment network restricted the public gaze and the control of information as well as made it nearly impossible to distinguish information from disinformation, and fact from fiction. Its value was predicated on expressing and showing less of the violence in order to set up a clear representation of a perpetrator and a victim. Thus, the reconceptualisation of borders in relation to 1999 was contingent on the deployment of the infrastructure of satellites and unmanned drones in an attempt to, firstly, miniaturise the weapon and, secondly, de-familiarise the military frame with spectacular speed

Pancreatic Encephalopathy- A Rare Complication of Severe Acute Biliary Pancreatitis

Background. Pancreatic encephalopathy is a rare complication of severe acute pancreatitis, with high mortality, being difficult to diagnose and treat, thus requiring continuous research regarding its management. Materials and Methods. Of 20 patients diagnosed with severe acute pancreatitis on admission at Department of Emergency and Admission (DEA), from January 1st 2010 to March 31st 2014, 5 cases complicated by pancreatic encephalopathy were analyzed using a descriptive observational, retrospective, single-centre study. Results. The study shows different types of diagnostic algorithm and therapeutical approaches, in correlation with morbidity and mortality rates. Conclusions. Our study highlighted the fact that speed is critical, early management being the key to outcome

Forced Migrants in Serbia: Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons - Facts and Figures, Coping Strategies, Future

The paper deals with refugees and internally displaced per­sons (IDPs). Considering their numbers, Serbia is the first in Europe and fourteenth on the globe. Their destiny is not only a tragic epilogue to the political dissolution of the for­mer Yugoslavia, but also to the breakdown of the common dream of “Yugoslav” nationality (which was meant to be a “melting pot” of various nations, ethnic groups, and reli­gions). Unfortunately, due to the specific strategy of nation-state building based on ethnic cleansing, refugees were one of the direct objectives of civil wars taking place in the 1990s. At the same time, massive floods of IDPs were insti­gated by the bombing campaign of Kosovo and Metohija conducted by the NATO alliance in 1999. Having come to Serbia, the majority of both refugees and IDPs who are ethnic Serbs have attained all the fea­tures of minority groups. The reasons for their social exclu­sion must be discussed in terms of their exceptionally low social position, high levels of unemployment and poverty, and lack of social inclusion. Moreover, it must be taken into account that contemporary Serbia faced many unresolved political challenges, delayed accession to the EU, secession of Kosovo and Metohija in 2008, hardships in establishing a market economy and liberal democracy since 2000, and economic deprivation, all of which were accompanied by poor social services. Serbian authorities adopted four major action plans targeted at forced migrants. However, the main challenges to their applicability stem from lack of institutional capacities, ineffective implemen­tation of development strategies, and limited resources.La Serbie occupe le premier rang en Europe et le quatorzième rang sur terre parmi les pays ayant le plus de réfugiés et de déplacés internes. Leur destin n’est pas seulement l’épilogue tragique de la dissolution politique de l’ex-Yougoslavie, mais aussi de la fin du rêve commun d’une nationalité « yougos-lave » (censée être un « melting pot » de différentes nations, groupes ethniques et religions) . Malheureusement, en raison d’une stratégie de construction d’État-nation fondée sur le nettoyage ethnique, les réfugiés ont été l’un des objectifs directs des guerres civiles se déroulant dans les années 1990. En même temps, un massif afflux de personnes déplacées a été suscité par la campagne de bombardement menée par l’OTAN au Kosovo-et-Métochie en 1999. Venue en Serbie, la majorité des réfugiés et des déplacés internes Serbes ethniques ont pourtant atteint toutes les caractéristiques des groupes minoritaires. Les raisons de leur exclusion sociale doivent être examinées en fonction de leur rang social exceptionnellement bas, de taux de chômage et de pauvreté élevés et d’une absence d’inclusion sociale. En outre, il faut prendre en considération les nombreux défis politiques non résolus qui confrontent la Serbie contemporaine, le retardement de son adhésion à l’Union européenne, la sécession du Kosovo-et-Métochie en 2008, les difficultés à établir une économie de marché et instaurer la démocratie libérale depuis 2000 et, enfin, des privations économiques, le tout accompagné par des services sociaux inadéquats. Les autorités serbes ont adopté quatre importants plans d’action destinés aux migrants forcés. Toutefois, les principaux défis à leur applicabilité proviennent d’un manque de capacité institutionnelle, d’une mise en œuvre inefficace de stratégies de développement et d’un manque de ressources

Corrosion Behavior of the As-cast and Heat-treated ZA27 Alloy

Corrosion behaviour of the as-cast and heat-treated ZA27 alloy was examined. The alloy was prepared by conventional melting and casting route and then thermally processed by applying T4 heat treatment regime (solutionizing at 370 °C for 3 hours followed by water quenching and natural aging). Corrosion rate of the as-cast and heat-treated ZA27 alloy was determined in 3.5 wt. % NaCl solution through immersion test using both weight loss method and polarization resistance measurements. It was shown that applied thermal treatment resulted in increased ductility of the heat-treated alloy and had a small beneficial effect on the corrosion resistance of ZA27 alloy

Psychological Barriers in Long Term Non-Operative Treatment of Retroperitoneal Hematoma

The retroperitoneal hematoma can have, mainly, a traumatic etiology - blunt abdominal trauma (falls from height, road accidents, aggression of any kind, etc.), or open (incised wounds, puncture, penetration or gunshot wounds). Ruptured arterial aneurysms can cause hemorrhage in the retroperitoneal space. There is also spontaneous retroperitoneal trauma in patients with chronic treatment with anticoagulant or antiaggregant drugs (1). Hemorrhage in the retroperitoneal space can be iatrogenic, after surgical, open or laparoscopic, interventions (2, 3). A particular type of retroperitoneal hematoma is the psoas muscle hematoma in patients with chronic oral anticoagulant treatment (Acenocumarol, Warfarin)

Reproductive patterns in the domestic dog

Despite the long history of joint life between man and the dog (Canis familiaris), there are still many aspects of canine reproduction that are not well understood. Domestication of the dog from its ancestor the wolf is thought to have occurred at least 14 000 years ago It is a unique situation that both the ancestor – the wolf, and the domesticated descendant - the dog, are still present world wide, which gives them a very important place in the fields of interest for scientific research. The reproductive pattern of the dog, as a very diverging species among all the mammals, requires specific methodology in research and studies. To study the differences between seasons of the year regarding the distribution of matings and whelpings, litter size, neonatal deaths and sex ratio, and the effects of age and parity of the bitch at the time of whelping on litter size, as well as the influence of litter size on the length of gestation, and fertility and frequency of whelping problems in the domestic dog, data from the Swedish Kennel Club (SKK) registry for the Drever breed during 1995-2006, 2717 registered litters, was analyzed together with more detailed data from a private, professional kennel of Drevers, with 285 matings and 224 whelpings during the same time period. Significantly more matings took place during winter, and the fewest during summer. Most whelpings took place during the winter and spring seasons. Of the 224 pregnant bitches 78% whelped, 6.25% experienced dystocia, and 5.36% underwent a Ceasarian section. Duration of pregnancy was not different between seasons. The largest litters were born during spring. Litter size was significantly, negatively, correlated with the duration of pregnancy (r = -0.18). Each extra pup caused a shortening of the gestation by 0.25 days. Bitches giving birth to their first litter after 5 years of age produced a smaller litter than younger bitches. For all the whelpings, bitches gave birth to 0.33 pups less per litter per additional year of age. Litter size in the private kennel increased from the 1st to the 3rd parity, and then decreased. The number of registered pups, increased from the 1st to the 2nd parity in the SKK data and from the 2nd to the 3rd parity in the private kennel, and then decreased. Mating a bitch only once resulted in a smaller litter size compared to multiple matings. None of the studied factors had any influence on the sex ratio. There were significant differences between males in whelping rate among the mated bitches, but no difference in mean litter size, which indicates a female problem rather than a male one. Available data strongly suggest that the domestic dog still is under a considerable seasonal influence, modified by ambient and management factors

Political Matters

***</jats:p