Date: January 17, 1995
Author: Valentina Krčmar, Thornhill, Ontario
Addressed to: Letters to the Editor, The Globe and Mail
View the Original Letter: krcmar book 3_Part2_Part37.pdf
About This Letter
In this letter dated January 17, 1995, Valentina Krčmar responds to The Globe and Mail article “Croatian Leader Wants UN Troops Out by March 31” (January 12, 1995). Her message is brief but fierce — a passionate reminder of Croatia’s resilience and the West’s moral failure during the war.
Krčmar takes issue with the article’s claim that Croatian President Franjo Tuđman should “not count on Western support to get him out of trouble.” She turns the statement on its head, arguing that Western nations never offered Croatia meaningful support to begin with.
“Was it ever time that Western support got Croatia out of trouble? Croatia was alone when it was attacked by the Serbs, and it is alone today.”
Her words cut sharply through the rhetoric of diplomacy. She recounts how, despite relentless Serbian assaults on cities such as Vukovar and Dubrovnik, the West failed to act decisively, offering only muted protests as lives were lost and cities were reduced to ruins.
“Town of Vukovar died after three months of relentless siege with no Western protest. Town of Dubrovnik was dying under Serb grenades and then, and only then, some weak voices of protest could be heard.”
Krčmar also condemns the false equivalence of international sanctions, which punished both the victims and the aggressor equally:
“What is even worse, the world put the sanctions on three countries: Croatia — victim; Bosnia — victim; and Serbia — aggressor.”
Her closing lines are both defiant and proud — a declaration of Croatia’s sovereignty and endurance:
“Croatia was alone when it was attacked by the Serbs and yet it defended three parts of its territories. Today it is strong enough to liberate the rest of its territories… Croatia learned not to count on ‘Western help.’”
This letter captures Krčmar’s characteristic clarity and conviction. Writing not as a politician but as a witness, she affirms the courage of a nation that stood alone against overwhelming odds — and exposes the hollow promises of a West that failed to stand with it.
