Dr. Death is Captured

What a story! Can you believe that Rondovan Karadzic, the man accused of ordering the death of 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica during the Bosian war, 1992-1995, has been hiding in plain sight right under the noses of government authorities in Belgrade. He was living openly as Dr. Dragan Debic, a local specialist and lifestyle guru who represented Alternative Medicine, much like Andrew Weil does here in Tucson. In fact, he perhaps emulated Weil’s look, as he, like Weil, had a thick flowing white beard and his lectures were videotaped and shown on television. However, he had more hair on his head then Andrew Weil; he wore it as a topknot ponytail, very fashionable in certain quarters. He was able to disappear into the New Age community in Belgrade; such as it was in the city. He even had a mistress named Mila, a pretty middle-aged woman who was always with him when he went to his favorite watering hole, a place called the MADHOUSE. He would introduce her as his wife and he invented some relatives who now live in America.

Unbelievable! If you wrote up a script that suggested such a ruse, no one would believe it. It would be too far-fetched and utterly improbable. I don’t want to forget for one minute what the guy did, but on the other hand, you have to admit he was clever and a very good actor. The sheer boldness of the ploy made it worked. It took a lot of daring to pull it off. What made the disguise work, beyond the physical transformation, was the Alternative life style didn’t seemed to fit the Butcher of Srebrenica. It would be like John McCain becoming a Buddhist monk. He was a Doctor and a psychiatrist before the war so he had that to build on. The first thing the authorities did when they captured him was they shorn him of his beard and fancy hair, like Samson was shorn, losing his strength, returning him to the Karadzic they all knew and could recognize.

Many questions remain. Who helped him in the beginning? How did get along with patients and the young people he was around? Was he a good doctor? Was he always in Belgrade? What was the mistake he made that led to his capture? The importance of his capture for Serbia and its present pro-Western government is this: It moves them closer to their ultimate goal, which is membership in the European Union, as they see belonging to the EU as the key to foreign investment and economic progress. The EU has told the Serbians that Karadzic and Rothko Mladic must be found and tried before they can enter the EU. Mladic was commander of the Army and Karadzic right hand man, the soldier who carried out his orders. They were a deadly pair. He is still on the loose. Karadzic will probably be sent to The Hague within a few days. He has already announced he will defend himself, like Slobodan Milosevic did. The World Court would like to avoid that scenario, if possible.