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Euronews
31-07-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Is Zagreb military parade a reflection of a new Balkan arms race?
A military parade in Zagreb on Thursday celebrated the 30th anniversary of a Croatian army campaign that seized control of ethnic Serb-held territory in what was then a freshly independent state splintering off a crumbling Yugoslavia. The event came almost three decades after Operation Storm was launched on 4 August 1995. Three days later, the Croatian army had brought the Republic of Serb Krajina (RSK), an ethnic Serb-led territory in what is now Croatia, to an end. The operation had decisive strategic and diplomatic effects on the wars in the former Yugoslavia, both in Croatia and neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina. By seizing territorial control of the Krajina, Zagreb was able to declare a definitive end to its war of independence against a de facto Serb-dominated Yugoslavia, which had begun in 1991. The successful Croatian counteroffensive in its east also had a spillover effect in Bosnia, where the Bosnian Serb forces, challenged by NATO bombardments, began to lose ground on several fronts, until the Dayton Peace Accord was reached in November 1995. Since taking complete control of its territory to effectively assert its independence, Croatia became a full-fledged member of NATO in 2009 and of the EU in 2013. New strategic priorities and business challenges Igor Tabak, a Croatian political and security analyst from the OBRIS institute in Zagreb, said the real victory celebrations took place 30 years ago, but that Thursday was an opportunity for Croatia to showcase its military spending to its taxpayers. Croatia has hit its target of spending 2% of its GDP on defence and aims to increase this further, Tabak added. "There have been significant (military) purchases through the last few years. More is on the way, so our taxpayers have to see where it's all going and this is a good occasion for such a show." Thursday's military parade, the first to mark Operation Storm for a decade, showcased Croatia's transition from eastern weapons systems inherited from the former socialist Yugoslavia to Western arms. Instead of Soviet MiG 21s, Croatia now uses 4.5-generation multi-role fighter aircraft from France. It is also set to acquire 50 Leopard 2A8 tanks from Germany. Tabak also pointed to Croatian-made drones which have been used in Ukraine, which he described as "big news in our defence industrial base". This comes as the countries of the former Yugoslavia are making considerable efforts to renew and adapt their arsenals to NATO standards. Apart from Serbia, these nations are mainly importers, as their arms industries almost exclusively produce small arms. Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania have also equipped themselves at great expense with weapons compatible with NATO standards. View from Belgrade For most ethnic Serbs, Operation Storm represented a campaign of ethnic cleansing, with thousands of Croatia's Serbs forced to resettle in Serbia and Bosnia. Tensions between Croatia and Serbia continue, with the region further polarised by Russia's all-out war in Ukraine and the continued cordial relations between Belgrade and Moscow. Serbia has not aligned itself with Western sanctions against Russia, despite its candidacy to join the EU, while Croatia has signed a defence cooperation agreement with Albania and Kosovo in March. According to Nikola Lunić, an independent security and military analyst and a former Serbian military officer, the region risks entering an arms race it cannot afford. 'The bilateral relations between Zagreb and Belgrade are not cordial, so when they see that we are strengthening our army, they do the same,' says Lunić. Like Croatia, Serbia has also signed an agreement with France's Dassault to buy 12 Rafale planes worth almost €2 billion. Belgrade also imports weapon systems from China and Russia, while also having its own substantial production and exports. On 3 September, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will participate in the large military parade organised by Chinese President Xi Jinping to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Japan. Another military parade is scheduled in Belgrade on 15 September.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
From refugee to coach - Muslic plots Liverpool upset
On Sunday, Miron Muslic will try and plot what many in football think is impossible - a win for his bottom-of-the-Championship Plymouth Argyle side against Premier League leaders and six-time European champions Liverpool in the FA Cup. But compared to the story of Muslic's start in life, beating Liverpool in the FA Cup seems relatively easy. In 1992, as a nine-year-old, Muslic - who took over as Argyle head coach from England star Wayne Rooney last month - was forced to flee his home town of Bihac in Bosnia. They got out just in time. In June 1992, just a month or two after the Muslic family left Bihac, it fell under a three-year siege by Serb-led forces during a bitter civil war. "We had to leave Bosnia, and Bihac, our home town, literally overnight, grabbing things you can grab with your hands," he explains powerfully to BBC Sport. "That's where our journey, or our new life, started." Muslic, his sister and parents fled 400 miles (650km) to Innsbruck in Austria with no idea what they would find and unable to speak the language with the local German accent, particularly hard to understand. "We struggled our whole life, and this part of struggling is part of my journey, and that's why I'm always very optimistic and very positive," says Muslic, who guided Cercle Bruges to the Uefa Europa Conference League this season. "I've been in more challenging situations in my life than being a head coach and facing a possible draw or a defeat at the weekend. "And that's also the message I want to deliver consistently towards the players, that life is a struggle with beautiful surprises, and there is always something worth fighting for. "Nothing was easy for me, or for my family or for my sister. We became refugees, and it's not a pretty thing, but I never had the feeling that I missed something in my life. "My parents tried very hard to provide us with the things that we needed - my father worked for over 30 years as a waiter, my mother was a cleaning lady, and they tried very hard to give us a good life. "All the things that have happened over the last 30 years helped me become who I am today and also achieve some things that maybe have been impossible. "But nothing is impossible if you truly believe, if you commit, if you convince, and if you go really, really fully." Miron Muslic's first words to the squad 👊 — Plymouth Argyle FC (@Argyle) January 13, 2025 It is that belief and commitment that Argyle will need if they are to upset a Liverpool side who have finished top of the Champions League group stage and have a healthy six-point lead at the summit of the Premier League under Arne Slot. Conversely, Muslic inherited an Argyle side spiralling towards League One and bottom of the Championship. To add to his tough start, he saw his best defender, Lewis Gibson, and star forward, Morgan Whittaker, leave the club during the transfer window. But, just like Muslic's new life in Austria, the shoots of recovery could well be sprouting under him at Argyle. Last Saturday, the Pilgrims paid a club-record fee for Ukraine defender Maksym Talovierov and came from a goal down to beat play-off contenders West Bromwich Albion 2-1 - a victory that ended a club-record 15-game winless run in the league. And it is football - and a love of its ups and downs - that has driven Muslic from a child who could not speak the language to a coach so fluent in English that his rousing first speech to Argyle's players has been watched by the best part of four million people on social media. As a teenage forward, he joined Wacker Innsbruck before a career that took in the top five tiers in Austria and a short spell in Croatia. He credits the sport with helping him adapt to his new homeland, allowing him to "have the privilege to call not only Bosnia, but also Austria, my home." "That's why football is so important, because it's universal," he says. "Because when you're on a football pitch or somewhere on the street, it's not about your name, your last name, it's not even about your refugee status or not; it's only about the game. "Where religion, nationality, is my mother a cleaning lady or a lawyer has no impact, has no influence. "That's why we love this beautiful game, and that's why I always call it 'the game we love', and that's the magic of football." Muslic's passion is apparent to anyone who meets him. He is a man who has a steely look in his eyes but a warm and welcoming nature and is able to engage a room - just ask anyone who watched the video of his first speech to Argyle's players. It all comes down to his background. "It's the definition of who I am today as a coach, but most important, who I am today as a human being," he says of his early life. Whether his side wins or loses on Sunday against Liverpool, Muslic shows that you can make it no matter what hurdles are in your way. "If I look to the locker room of Argyle, they are just lads from all over the world, and it works," he says. "So imagine the world as a locker room; it would be a good place to be."
BBC News
07-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
From refugee to coach - Muslic plots Liverpool upset
On Sunday, Miron Muslic will try and plot what many in football think is impossible - a win for his bottom-of-the-Championship Plymouth Argyle side against Premier League leaders and six-time European champions Liverpool in the FA compared to the story of Muslic's start in life, beating Liverpool in the FA Cup seems relatively easy. In 1992, as a nine-year-old, Muslic - who took over as Argyle head coach from England star Wayne Rooney last month - was forced to flee his home town of Bihac in got out just in time. In June 1992, just a month or two after the Muslic family left Bihac, it fell under a three-year siege by Serb-led forces during a bitter civil war. "We had to leave Bosnia, and Bihac, our home town, literally overnight, grabbing things you can grab with your hands," he explains powerfully to BBC Sport."That's where our journey, or our new life, started." Muslic, his sister and parents fled 400 miles (650km) to Innsbruck in Austria with no idea what they would find and unable to speak the language with the local German accent, particularly hard to understand."We struggled our whole life, and this part of struggling is part of my journey, and that's why I'm always very optimistic and very positive," says Muslic, who guided Cercle Bruges to the Uefa Europa Conference League this season."I've been in more challenging situations in my life than being a head coach and facing a possible draw or a defeat at the weekend."And that's also the message I want to deliver consistently towards the players, that life is a struggle with beautiful surprises, and there is always something worth fighting for."Nothing was easy for me, or for my family or for my sister. We became refugees, and it's not a pretty thing, but I never had the feeling that I missed something in my life."My parents tried very hard to provide us with the things that we needed - my father worked for over 30 years as a waiter, my mother was a cleaning lady, and they tried very hard to give us a good life."All the things that have happened over the last 30 years helped me become who I am today and also achieve some things that maybe have been impossible."But nothing is impossible if you truly believe, if you commit, if you convince, and if you go really, really fully." It is that belief and commitment that Argyle will need if they are to upset a Liverpool side who have finished top of the Champions League group stage and have a healthy six-point lead at the summit of the Premier League under Arne Muslic inherited an Argyle side spiralling towards League One and bottom of the add to his tough start, he saw his best defender, Lewis Gibson, and star forward, Morgan Whittaker, leave the club during the transfer just like Muslic's new life in Austria, the shoots of recovery could well be sprouting under him at Saturday, the Pilgrims paid a club-record fee for Ukraine defender Maksym Talovierov and came from a goal down to beat play-off contenders West Bromwich Albion 2-1 - a victory that ended a club-record 15-game winless run in the league. And it is football - and a love of its ups and downs - that has driven Muslic from a child who could not speak the language to a coach so fluent in English that his rousing first speech to Argyle's players, external has been watched by the best part of four million people on social media. As a teenage forward, he joined Wacker Innsbruck before a career that took in the top five tiers in Austria and a short spell in Croatia. He credits the sport with helping him adapt to his new homeland, allowing him to "have the privilege to call not only Bosnia, but also Austria, my home.""That's why football is so important, because it's universal," he says."Because when you're on a football pitch or somewhere on the street, it's not about your name, your last name, it's not even about your refugee status or not; it's only about the game."Where religion, nationality, is my mother a cleaning lady or a lawyer has no impact, has no influence."That's why we love this beautiful game, and that's why I always call it 'the game we love', and that's the magic of football." Muslic's passion is apparent to anyone who meets him. He is a man who has a steely look in his eyes but a warm and welcoming nature and is able to engage a room - just ask anyone who watched the video of his first speech to Argyle's players. It all comes down to his background. "It's the definition of who I am today as a coach, but most important, who I am today as a human being," he says of his early life. Whether his side wins or loses on Sunday against Liverpool, Muslic shows that you can make it no matter what hurdles are in your way. "If I look to the locker room of Argyle, they are just lads from all over the world, and it works," he says. "So imagine the world as a locker room; it would be a good place to be."
