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War is a culture, bellicosity is addictive, defeat for a community that imagines itself to be history's eternal victim can be as intoxicating as victory. How long will it take for the Serbs to realize that the Milosevic years have been an unmitigated disaster for Serbia, the net result of Milosevic's policies being the economic and cultural ruin of the entire region, including Serbia, for several generations? Alas, one thing we can be sure of, that will not happen soon.

Susan Sontag#25

WarPoliticsCultureIdentity

About this quote

What does it mean?
War culture makes defeat intoxicating for victims of history, preventing them from recognizing policy failures.
In plain terms
Believing your group is an eternal victim makes defeat feel like victory, stopping reflection on bad policies.
What can you take from it?
Victim narratives can prevent communities from admitting defeat and changing direction.

Where it applies

  • post-war analysis
  • political discourse
  • regional conflict

Putting it to work

  • conflict resolution
  • policy reform

Questions to consider

  • Why do communities embrace victimhood?
  • How does trauma affect policy?

Another view

The quote generalizes Serbian history and ignores factors like international isolation.

More from Susan Sontag

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  3. Stop the War and Stop the Genocide, read the banners being waved in the demonstrations in Rome and here in Bari. For Peace. Against War. Who is not? But how ca…

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