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Two Sides To Every Serbian Story
Yesterday, Serbs voted the "pro-western" "liberal" Boris Tadic a second five-year term, defeating what the Guardian describes as the "extreme nationalist" Tomislav Nikolic. Other observers variously describe Nikolic as "hardline" and "pro-Moscow."
Indeed, the election was lined up by the western media as a clear choice by the Serbs between aligning with the European Union or strengthening ties with Moscow. Tadic has made moves towards eventual membership of the EU a central plank of his election strategy.
The vote comes as Serbia prepares for its mainly Albanian province of Kosovo to break away and declare independence - a move which many Serbs (and Moscow) oppose.
The Guardian reports that Tadic is on a "collision course" with "the more powerful prime minister, Vojislav Kostunica, who is threatening to sever relations with much of the EU when Brussels deploys an 1,800-strong nation-building mission in an independent Kosovo" and speaks of a "proxy showdown between the west and Russia" over the province.
There must be more to it than this. Any thoughts from our readers? Our suspicions are pricked by the photo, above, which accompanies the Guardian story (and many other reports in the UK and European press).
That's Tadic on the right, all media-friendly haircut and Dave Cameron style tieless collar. Nikolic is on the left, looking like a crumbling relic of the Cold War and the Politburo. Even the dark circles around his eyes suggest a Sith-like proximity to the Dark Side of the Force.
When the Guardian sets them up like this, there must be something up. Dear readers, do tell...
