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Evgenii Gindev
Bulgarian society under the conditions of Globalization and European Integration
Professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences. Author of around 160 scientific publications, 14 monographies among which in the sphere of system analysis, operations study, cybernetics, mathematical modelling. His major theoretical interests for the last 10 years are orientated to the scientific problems of the national security.
For 15 years now Bulgaria lives in illusions and myths far from the course of the historical process. That is why may be we have gone through the so called transition most painfully and devastatingly in comparison to all the post socialist countries. The surveys show that only Uzbekistan is behind us. Fifteen years our politicians 'used to narcotise' and corrupt the nation, replace the purposes with the means and used to shamelessly build up the basics of its own well-being. They used to turn over history, to cover the realities and to limit the strategic horizon of the state and the nation to the interval 2004-2007, after which the term Bulgaria was treated like it does not exist. And it is just now when the winners triumph for obvious, but superficial successes, it became clear to everyone that there are no occasions for opening a bottle of sparkling wine and for performing laser shows (there will be such too) and that our country has faced dramatic and tragic challenges for which it is not ready yet.
We find ourselves again aside of the historical processes, out of the dynamics of the European and world development. How many times the driving motifs of Western Europe, the essence of globalisation and of modern globalism in its Anglo-Saxon version were not understood, and there was no willingness for understanding. Anyone interested in the last interpretations has to read the article written by Condoleeza Reis a couple of days ago 'The Aims of the American Foreign Policy'. The entire mass, insolent and aggressive media propaganda in the Bulgarian public space speculates with the natural desire of the people to live a peaceful and worthy secure life. It came up, however, that neither NATO brings us any security, nor the EU - any welfare. The reasons are numerous and well known to those who are interested in them. Of course, it is always possible to improve the welfare of the people especially if someone has taken good care beforehand to drastically decline this welfare. We must all become aware of the fact that Bulgaria will never live as Western Europe lives. This is simply not allowed by the physical laws.
The idea for a United Europe does not pursue the establishment of united European society, rich and free. The aim is different. The enlargement of the West European market and the establishment of a new, economically beneficial to the West, economic infrastructure in Eastern Europe bearing a very high profit. The future significance ranking in United Europe is outlined and we are assigned a place in the lower ranks. Something like a packet of 'Arda' cigarettes without filter.
Bulgaria as a state will not become an important member of the Euro-Atlantic community. Countries like Bulgaria are just offered indulgencies for the dark socialist past and the right to be considered and be presented as part of Europe. An idiotism having no equal. Isn't the European identification itself a confused and speculative one? It is impossible to identify by which criteria they attach a certain country to this new Europe - according to the geography, the history, the anthropology, the religion, according to values, according to the street regulation or according to self determination.
The contours of a new international project for Bulgaria, based on the stubbornly enforced feelings for national complexity and guilt, are outlined in the midst of the integration fog. We have to admit with sadness that there are similar tendencies as well as enough number of paid native apologetics. A large part of the Bulgarian intellectuals put a lot of efforts to promote and enforce this tendency. These are three examples only.
I cite: 'With the Cyrillic alphabet Knyaz Boris has built up a fence, one virtual Chinese wall, which still protrudes along our Southern border'. This is said by Boyan Vladimirov.
Second quotation: 'The Europeans are not interested in the fact that Kocho Chestimenski has cut the heads of all his family so that the Turks do not insult it, or that Vasil Petleshkov has perished on the stake but he has not behaved like a traitor to his comrades? Patriotic examples as the destiny of Balkandji Jovo and the beautiful Yana can warm the hearts only of the Balkan people. Less we deal with our heroic past, much more time will be left to study foreign languages, to work at the computers or to acquire new professions.' The author of this is Petar Volgin.
The third quotation: 'Till when shall we continue to wave the idiotic horse tails of Khan Asparuh or to make up groundless pretensions desperate of our complexes?' This is Andrei Raichev.
For that particular reason, expressing the sense of the literate Bulgarian globalism as a total denial of every identity, besides the single egoistic personality without a past and a future, but with a present only, the concrete and forthcoming stages of the globalisation expansion in Bulgaria become clear. The Bulgarian behind-the-scene globalist is excellently structured by an unrestricted financing, with an enormous political support and with clear formulated aims.
The idea of a global Bulgaria can be obtained by the existing facts, by the demonstrated efforts within the public space, as well as by those steps which are available at the moment. I will outnumber the most essential of them.
First, restriction till 2020 of the number of the Bulgarian ethnos to 4 million and its turning into a minority in its own state. May be then BSP will change its name to a Movement for Rights and Freedoms. This is not a very difficult task, having in mind that as at the present moment the Bulgarians are not more than six million with one million gypsies available and three hundred thousand Turkish speaking. As of 1 January 2003 out of 100 newly born in Bulgaria only 25 are Bulgarians.
Yesterday, I think, there was one round table at the Peoples' Assembly, or I do not know how to call it, on the demographic problem, where terrible state-of-the-art data on the situation of the Bulgarian ethnos was presented.
Secondly, the liquidation of the Bulgarian army as a national institution. Disarmament and enervation of Bulgaria in such dimensions has happened only upon our fall under the Byzantine and under the Turkish yoke. You see, they even want now to make the Bulgarian army take lessons from armies that have never won even one land battle in their history. I am not mentioning who they are. However, there are three military schools in Europe where it is worth studying.
Third, change of the date of the national day. A proposal has already been submitted on this issue.
Fourth, change of the Cyrillic with a Latin alphabet. At an everyday life level this is already taking place at a fast rate.
Fifth, complete discrediting of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and of the Slav family. An indication of this is the accelerated, enforced propagation of foreign religious holidays and traditions. For instance, St. Valentine's Day, All Saints Day, St. Patrick's Day, the cults to the various religious sects and mystic societies. All this is happening at the moment.
Sixth, a crude, unrestricted by anything attack against the historic, civilization and mental contacts of Bulgaria with Russia. The process is called a new civilization choice by adopting the Euro-Atlantic values. Two days ago only the Bulgarian poet - politician has defended officially in a Bulgarian Daily the attack of Hitlerite Germany against the Soviet Union as a preventive strike against a bloody totalitarian dictatorship. See 'Sega' Daily of 25.03. (Edwin Sugarev).
Seventh, erosion of the Bulgarian historical memory, discrediting of the traditional achievements of the nation, a social plundering of the Bulgarians in dimensions unknown till now. Upon his visit to Azerbaijan the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs has thus advised to deal with History. I cite: 'We have to invest in next generation's education. If we allow our children be misled by propaganda, it will be difficult for the next generation to be objective and leave behind the old signs'. Transferred to the Bulgarian reality everything said by the Minister means that our children, for instance, have to be ashamed of what has been written by the French chronicler some 800 years ago, namely 'And before throwing Baldwin from the tower into Yantra, Kaloyan treated him like a woman.' This, you see, are old signs.
In this situation and circumstances everyone should ask himself and give an answer to important and vital questions. Who are we now, who we want to become and who we can be in NATO and the EU? Is it the end of the Bulgarian history and the Bulgarian is turning into an associated man and into an European atom or is it an attempt for a new beginning, maintaining the historical fluctuations.
These are not easy questions and a lot of courage is needed to give them an answer. A couple of days ago I heard in the media a typical statement made by a Bulgarian: 'We have to say good bye to our national motherland, if we do not want to remain outside the civilization, where it is not comfortable. My motherland is not the land I step on, but the keyboard of my typewriter. The nation is a convict prison. Why shall we cling to our rotten national roots like a helpless blind man clings to his stick?'
Two days ago an enthusiastic outstanding Bulgarian Minister proclaimed the beginning of a new Bulgarian Revival without realizing what he has said actually. They speak just like that. I am talking about the Minister of Finance, he is still a Bulgarian, I hope.
Similar statements are very difficult to be commented reasonably. They show the great danger of non-convertibility of the civil qualification of the Bulgarian society. Together with the embarrassing and comic fiesta in the Peoples' Assembly on this 18 March, it expresses the complete absurdity of the Bulgarian political space. The accession to the military alliance is never a reason for an ecstasy. It is a reason for consideration and launching of a new national project.
It is a serious alarm according to me that Ivan Kostov turned out to be the only politician whose statement in the Peoples' Assembly is added to the world alarms and outlines at least, though unclearly and much disputably, some future. I say alarming because in general within the circles, whose opinion and standpoint is expressed by Ivan Kostov, no positive, creative and actually Bulgarian project is possible to exist.
In the left space - absolute silence or unclear murmuring for modernity and Europeism
Ahmed Dogan has appealed to Allah to safeguard Bulgaria. Miroslav Sevlievski has received the Koran as a present. The President has presented himself a better European and a NATO man if compared even to Solomon Pasi. Strange actions of strange people in a strange country.
Much more efforts, tenacity, intellect, culture, a feeling for nationality and a vision for the future will be needed both in NATO and the EU, in order to defend the national interests. These are qualities which today's politicians and statesmen do not have. The largest threat for the national security and the civilization identity of Bulgaria are just these politicians and statesmen. Neither one parliamentary represented political party proposes a future for Bulgaria - the future as a clear and a concrete project. As far as such project is not available, both NATO and the EU are without a particular value, while the major political subjects - superfluous and harmful for Bulgaria. In order to make myself clear I will propose one historic parallel, the interpretation of which I leave open.
At the second extraordinary session of the 25th Ordinary Peoples' Assembly, conducted on 2 May 1941, the Prime Minister prof. Bogdan Filov delivered a speech on the occasion of Bulgaria's accession to the Three Partite Pact. This is the third military alliance to which our country has joined at that time. In his speech Bogdan Filov declared among other things: ' The forces of the axes not only became worthy of the deep gratitude of the Bulgarian people, but showed also their decision to participate and set up one better and one more fair order in Europe, thus opening a new era for agreements and cooperation among the peoples. Stemming from this great historical fact Bulgaria sees in the Pact, concluded by Germany, Italy and Japan, an instrument of this policy which is aiming at providing a possibility for the peoples to develop peacefully, to improve their welfare and to guarantee a just and a lasting peace. Bulgaria enters into the Three Partite Pact led by the wish to cooperate within its potential for attaining these high targets. Even more it remains loyal to the agreements for friendship, concluded with its neighbours, and it has decided to continue to develop its further contacts with the Soviet Union. As a loyal partner of the Three Partite Pact Bulgaria hopes to contribute to the lasting peace and to a new just order in Europe.'
At the official session of the 39th Peoples' Assembly on 18 March 2004, on the occasion of the ratification of the North Atlantic Treaty - this was the fifth military alliance, that our country joined, the Bulgarian President stated: 'These days we will finalize the realization of one of the strategic aims of our foreign policy - The Republic of Bulgaria to become an equal NATO member. This, with no doubt, is a turning point in the history of our state, because our country will attain a geo-strategic authority towards which it has been striving in the course of years. We will have trustworthy internationally interlinked juristic guarantees for our national security. The umbrella of the alliance solidarity will be stretched above us. And something very important, our country will have a possibility to participate equally and actively in the definition of the European world agenda in the sphere of security. The NATO membership is a challenge to the entire organization of the Bulgarian state. We, the Bulgarian statesmen and politicians have to outline such parameters of the economic and social policy which will enable our people, every individual Bulgarian citizen, to feel equal, to feel a worthy member of this international democratic community of which we become a part.'
Even the slight comparison shows why I put forward the interpretation of these two statements openly. Otherwise, serious words have to be said about the Bulgarian statesmen and politicians of today and doubt be expressed in their consistency as representatives of the Bulgarian people. Sometimes I break out in a cold sweat when I think that the politicians and the statesmen will take us now to NATO and into the EU. Generally I am a moderate pessimist and I hope that the only course of the historic process will bring sense into the nation and will make it take care of itself, rejecting everything which stands in its way.
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