Karadzic appears in The Hague

Karadzic looked like the man the world knew a decade ago: his scraggly beard and white hair were gone. Karadzic wore a suit and was stone-faced but largely cooperative, offering one-word answers. Then the judge read Karadzic’s indictment which alleges that between 1991 and 1995 Karadzic planned and instigated a campaign of terror tactics that forced non-Serbs out of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The judge then read 11 charges against Karadzic and the judge asked Karadzic if he was representing himself, which Karadzic affirmed. Karadzic is not the first person to represent himself at a war crimes trial, but there’s a difference this time says this analyst, mainly that Karadzic is not a lawyer but a psychiatrist, and that will make his self-defense very challenging. Karadzic’s self-representation could slow down the trial, but not substantially and an appointed lawyer will step in if Karadzic tries to derail the trial. The analyst says the prosecutor’s goal is to complete the trial in a year, and the appeal in 6-8 months. He also says Karadzic’s goal will be to turn the trial into a political stage and end up as a martyr. It was Karadzic’s decision to shave and get a hair cut.