Hungary Blames Serbia for the Balkan Syndrome

Spin doctoring specialises in confusing issues with various claims, until both journalists and the public throw up their hands and focus on something less perplexing

As more information is revealed concerning the Balkan Syndrome (BS), Hungary has gone in the opposite direction by offering less and less information, and manipulating what little there is. The most surprising was the recent statement from a military spokesperson who actually blamed Serbia for increased radiation levels in the area.

Unlike other European countries, Hungary steadfastly refuses to acknowledge the BS, preferring to label such concern as media hysteria. Although it has now come to light that at least four Hungarian peacekeepers died of cancer or leukemia upon their return from the Balkans, authorities reject outright the possibility of any connection to the BS, stating simply that there is no proof.

Yet proof does exist by way of the widows and relatives of the deceased. They state that prior to tour of duty all peacekeepers had to undergo vigorous physical exams; it is inconceivable, therefore, that such fit men should return so ill. Taking this into consideration, the onus of proof actually lies with the Hungarian military, in proving that the men didn't get their illnesses because of their peacekeeping duties in the Balkans.

As a result of this and growing anxiety in Europe over the issue, a sophisticated media campaign has been launched by the government and military authorities in order to alleviate fears and avoid responsibility. This has been done primarily through a reinforcement of their hard line against the BS. This propaganda campaign, conducted via the mass media, is composed of three main components: denial, shifting the blame, and manipulation of the facts.

The first component, denial of the very existence of the BS, is a little puzzling to understand, considering that all other countries within Europe have more or less voiced their concern. There is scant reporting on the issue in Hungary, and what is reported is the view of the government or their "experts" that the BS can be reduced to sensationalist journalism. No critical views are presented, such as why isn't the burden of proof on the authorities to prove that the BS doesn't exist, rather than the other way round. The new media (i.e., the Internet) is of little help in this regard: with an elite on-line population of only 8%, very little information can be found on Hungarian sites which deal with the issue. Most of what can be found is simply a rehash of existing, government-indoctrinated views.

Although the Hungarian authorities seem confident that their simple denial of the issue is enough to appease the public, they have left nothing to chance. Hence, in the midst of their propaganda campaign a red herring was tossed to the public in the form of shifting the blame for increased radiation levels (and the prospect that the BS will ultimately be recognised as a NATO-induced calamity). Not surprisingly, the one to blame for the BS -- if it is ever to be acknowledged -- is Serbia.

A news report by Hungarian television (MTV) carried the dubious claim of an "expert" who said that the depleted uranium (DU) issue was nothing more than anti-NATO propaganda conducted by the Milosevic regime. Against images of a group of supposed Serbian paramilitary soldiers driving around, it was added that the Serbs had actually planted DU throughout the region, and were thus fully responsible for contaminating the countryside of the entire region.

Such claims are, naturally, preposterous. Even the US, who is implicated in the use of DU munitions and who has also denied any link between the use of such ammunition and the illness of European peacekeepers, hasn't gone so far as to blame Serbia and the former regime of Slobodan Milosevic -- at least not yet. One can't help but wonder what the Hungarian authorities hope to gain from making such outrageous statements at this point in time.

And as if all this wasn't enough, the spin doctors in Hungary has put the final touches on their media campaign through the skillful use of media manipulation. To be fair, Hungary is not the only one guilty of the crime; the media outlets of many European countries also appear to apply similar methods in an apparent attempt at damage control.

There are two main avenues in which the media manipulation over the BS issue is being conducted. The first, which applies to all countries concerned, is through a misrepresentation of the facts.

Spin doctoring, better known as "public relations", specialises in confusing issues with various claims, until both journalists and the public throw up their hands and focus on something less perplexing, like football. What is more, when information is presented in a chaotic manner, psychological survival depends on each person's ability to pretend to themselves that the problems are minor, that "nobody knows", or that the problems themselves don't actually exist.

Spin doctors are fully aware of the value of words and terms, which in technical areas are only vaguely understood. In the case of using DU munitions in the Balkans, there are actually two distantly-related issues which the public are made to perceive as one: the first is the Bosnian syndrome when DU munitions were used in 1995; the second is the Kosovo syndrome when DU munitions were used in 1999.

The incubation period for leukemia and most of the other cancers noted is between five and fifteen years. By lumping together everything into one called the BS, one can easily deny its existence by pointing to the fact that not enough time (five years from 1999) has passed for such illnesses to occur.

The term BS is an unfortunate misnomer: at present, the real concern is over the Bosnian syndrome, for which enough time has passed (five years from 1995). A Kosovo syndrome will almost certainly hit the headlines in a few year's time. Only then will those two together constitute what is now referred to as the BS.

In addition to muddling the issue, spin doctors in Hungary have also engaged in the omission of important information related to possible side-issues. In particular, this has to do with the possibility of the storage of DU munitions and the firing of such shells in Hungary during practice maneuvers.

There has been no mention of such side-issues whatsoever in Hungary. The reason is simple: any such doubts would raise public concern over the American base at Taszar (south Hungary) used during the bombing of Yugoslavia. It might also raise questions as to why the base is now being given over to civilian use and another base has been earmarked for NATO in a totally different area (Papa, in west Hungary).

Finally, there is the question of corroborative evidence. Although dubious "experts" have been paraded in front of the cameras, no-one has yet thought of turning the camera to where the proof of the dangers of DU can be found in abundance: Iraq. Since Iraq is still considered to be an "enemy" state of sorts, any claims that they may make are treated with suspicion and watered down. In this context, former President Clinton's assertion prior to leaving office that a pilot shot down during the Gulf War a decade ago appears to be an attempt to flashback to the days of the Gulf War, along with the demonizing anti-Iraqi rhetoric it entails.

Iraq's subsequent claim of racism and hypocrisy on the part of Europe and North America contains more than a kernel of truth. As long as Iraqis were dying from leukemia and other such illnesses, DU munitions were of little concern; now that it's European peacekeepers (little mention is made of civilians, by the way), it has suddenly become an important issue.

Yet for Hungary, even at this stage the possibility that DU munitions is responsible for the BS is of no concern. The reason is purely political: Hungary's post Cold War foreign policy has been forged along the lines that NATO entails security. In addition to this, prior to joining the alliance Hungary had asked for no written guarantees from NATO that they wouldn't store radioactive weapons or munitions on Hungarian soil, with former Foreign Minister Lazslo Kovacs (now head of the Socialist Party) confident in the verbal promise that NATO wouldn't store such weapons or munitions. Also, during the bombardment of Yugoslavia, there were several incidents where NATO aircraft "accidentally" dropped their bombs in Hungary and dumped tonnes of kerosene during problematical flights. Bringing all this to the fore once again, along with the illegal use of DU munitions, would surely call Hungary's post Cold War reliance on NATO into question.

Therefore, it appears what media outlets in Hungary have been doing is putting their trust in the surety of public ignorance, and the "concern-overload" that people now suffer under constant bombardment of health, nutrition and environmental claims and counter-claims. However, this is sure to eventually backfire as more and more people within the region become ill. Even so, the Hungarian authorities are ready with an answer: the Serbs did it.