Serbian Orthodoxy and the Politics of the Djokovic Affair

https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/serbian-orthodox-church-profoundly-disappointed-over-djokovic-s-visa-cancellation-asks-for-immediate-repeal-and-written-apology

In times past you wouldn't have found a Western-connected Evangelical group sympathizing with the plight and positions of the Orthodox world and indeed were Djokovic a Russian, the response would have likely been different.

But he's not a Russian, he's a Serbian and Evangelicals like most of the public aren't in tune enough with contemporary geopolitics to understand the foreign policy of their own Western governments. In other words they're sometimes a little behind in expressing the 'proper' position that aligns with policy.

Why does it matter? Because almost universally the host of ministries, missions, and watchdog groups all more or less toe the official US line and if there's any debate or controversy, they side with the American Right. This is also why their international reports and briefings must be taken with a grain of salt. They are biased – and not toward Christ's Kingdom of Truth. They produce a lot of misinformation and in other cases blatant disinformation – usually via half-truths and omissions. Money and its influence play no small part in this.

In this case, I do think the Australian case against Djokovic might have a political angle. Regardless of whether or not it did, the Serbian population will certainly perceive it as such – another insult against the Slavic and Orthodox world, another sleight and offense given by the deceitful and godless West. It's part of a history and a pattern and while sometimes this perception borders on paranoia it is not without foundation.

Increasingly the Orthodox view the conflict not just in terms of Western encroachment and geo-political imperialism but an existential and ideological conflict, a complete re-casting of the East-West Cold War battle – this time it's one between Enlightenment Liberalism (which encompasses the entire spectrum of America's Left-Right politics) and the decadence and deviance that system produces and that of paleo-conservative traditionalism – which casting the government in the role of shepherd and caretaker, largely rejects the individualist assumptions, rights-based order, and social contract theory of the West.

New Testament Christians must reject both and yet we can also understand that both have their practical advantages and dangers for both the Church and day to day Christian living.

And it also must be noted there are splits within the Orthodox world, or rather a spectrum of thought. Few are friendly to the West and its Enlightenment-forged world, but the hostility and resistance varies and this affects views of science, medicine, and technology as well as politics and understandings of culture. Not all the leaders in the Orthodox world will be happy with Djokovic and his anti-vax stand.

Serbia has endured a roller-coaster ride in its post-Cold War relations with the West and Atlanticism in particular – of which Australia is (despite its Asia-Pacific setting) a part. The wars waged by the US against Belgrade in the 1990's were largely motivated by the attempt to consolidate power in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War – an attempt to win Serbia into the West's column while Russia was down.

The larger Eastern European project was mostly successful as today all the former Warsaw Pact nations are now in the EU and/or NATO – though there is a growing resistance found among some of them. The West continues to gun for the nations that were once part of the Soviet Union itself as seen in Moldova, Ukraine, the Caucasus, and Central Asia – a point greatly resented by Moscow and others in the Orthodox world.

Serbia fell through the cracks and because it resisted, it was cast as the villain of Europe and certainly the Balkans. A resurgent Russia now gets all the attention but there are still tensions and often consternation with regard to Serbia which is perceived as a potential Russian beachhead within the boundaries of Europe and on the EU frontier. At one point in the 2010's, it seemed the West had almost won over control of Serbia and had subdued its resistant ultra-nationalist Deep State, but in recent years even mainstream elements in the Belgrade Establishment have swung East once more and seemed determined to pursue and re-cultivate the historical relationship with Moscow.

Yes, Serbia is being punished. Given the massive propaganda campaigns being waged against Moscow and Beijing in recent years you might be excused for not noticing the ongoing Anti-Serbia campaign, but it's there – all the more as Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić becomes increasingly determined to pursue his relationship with Moscow. And more recently, he has reached out to China, further alienating Serbia from the Atlanticist Establishment that dominates Europe.

Djokovic's woes are likely connected (at least tangentially) to these events. That said, I have no sympathy at all for Djokovic personally – absolutely none. In terms of tennis, I don't follow it and haven't since the days of Jimmy Connors and Björn Borg.

The Serbian Orthodox body has not yet earned the ire that is found in the West vis-à-vis the Moscow Patriarchate but in this case it's only because the folks at Christian News aren't terribly discerning. In other areas (as with most Evangelicals) their views are shaped by the official policy and media lines of the US government. It will be interesting to see how things develop and if like many Russian athletes, Djokovic encounters greater trouble with Western governments. Sports are largely meaningless in terms of the grand scheme of life but it's big business and therefore governments show an interest and all the more when such events and celebrity figures are connected to national prestige and the like. And so there is a point in which sporting concerns become political. It's certainly the case in the world of football and some of the fierce rivalries that are exacerbated by political concerns. American football is likewise embroiled in race-rooted and nationalist controversies.  History also testifies to this as one can look back to Byzantine times and the Blues and Greens.

Returning to the Orthodox world and the East-West conflict, things are quickly returning to and even surpassing the climate of controversy and tit-for-tat repercussions we saw during the Cold War – tensions which easily bled over into the world of sport. What's next for Djokovic? And if he's banned from international tournaments in the West, what will be the political result?