Gojko Šušak
Encyclopedia
Gojko Šušak was the Croatian Minister of Defence from 1991 to 1998. A Bosnian Croat emigreé to Canada, he entered the political life of Croat diaspora in North America, subsequently becoming a close friend and associate to Franjo Tuđman, the leader of the Croatian Democratic Union
, a nationalistic party seeking Croatian independence from Yugoslavia. When Tuđman became President of Croatia in 1991, Šušak was appointed Minister of Defence, an office he held during the Yugoslav Wars
, until his death. During his office he was an important ally of the United States
.
He has been accused of war crimes, although he was never indicted.
, in the Croat-dominated part of the Herzegovina
region, then Ustasha-led Independent State of Croatia
, of present-day south-west Bosnia and Herzegovina
. He was the sixth child of Ante and Stana Šušak. His father and brother disappear with the Second World War, last seen prior to the Partisans' entering in Zagreb
.
After graduating from high school, Šušak studied mathematics in Rijeka
, but when he received a draft call to the Yugoslav People's Army
, Šušak decided to emigrate, allegedly with the help of Croatian Franciscan
priests, he illegally crossed the Yugoslav
-Austrian border. This claim is disputed by some, particularly Paul Hockenos, who in his book, Homeland Calling, states Šušak probably left Yugoslavia, like most Croatians, as a guest worker, but also does not back this claim with substantial evidence.
From Austria, Šušak went to Canada
in 1969, where two of his brothers had previously emigrated. There he worked in construction and doing odd jobs. His political opponents in 1990s mockingly called him "Pizza man", since he also owned and ran a pizzeria for some time.
In 1973, he married another Croatian immigrant, Đurđica Gojmerac, a social worker at the time. They had two daughters, Katarina and Jelena, a son named Tomislav, and lived peacefully in suburbia. However, Šušak was at the same time one of the most active Croatian political immigrants in Canada working on the organization of Croatian schools where he also taught classes, football clubs, church events etc. His most notable work was aiding the opening of the Croatian studies chair at the University of Waterloo
in 1988.
He was an anti-communist and Croat nationalist, directly involved with the independence, and subsequent, war of Croatia. He was an important ally to the United States, who had during the war persuaded Šušak to let go of his aim to annex the Bosnian Croat areas.
During his exile, Šušak was associated with Croatian Franciscans in Canada, especially with their mission in Norval
, which was politically active. Šušak and Norval priests were hosts to Partizan
General
turned dissident
Franjo Tuđman, during his visits to Croatian immigrants in Canada in late 1980s. During that visit, Tuđman and Šušak became friends and built a bond that would last until Šušak's death.
Šušak and his circle managed to raise large amounts of money among Croats in North America
that helped Tuđman finance his rise to power in Croatia. Šušak went back to Croatia in 1989, and became a high official in Tuđman 's party, Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ), and after the party's win in the 1990 election (the first free election in Croatia and rest of Yugoslavia since World War II
), Minister of Immigration.
On June 25, 1991 Croatia and Slovenia
declared independence from Yugoslavia. In September 1991, Šušak was named minister of defense while Croatia was at war with rebel Croatian Serbs supported by the Yugoslav People's Army
. His role as Minister of Defence remains controversial. There are claims that under Šušak's management of purchasing arms for the Croatian Army a lot of funds raised from immigrants were misappropriated. The murdered chief of police for eastern Slavonia, Josip Reihl-Kir, a couple of days before his murder said that "Šušak is going to order his liquidation" , and he also stated that Šušak was in the group that fired Armbrust missiles on civilian houses in Borovo Selo in April 1994, preceding Borovo Selo killings.
Susak gained economic aid from wealthy emigrees. The Serbs managed to occupy a quarter of Croatia's territory, declaring a Republic of Serbian Krajina
. When war spread to neighbouring, multi-ethnic federal republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995), he spearheaded support to Bosnian Croats throughout the war, including a year-long war with the Bosnian Muslims.
In the course of the armed conflict, Šušak spearheaded support to Bosnia's Croats throughout the 1992-95 war there, including a year-long conflict with the Muslims, during which both sides committed atrocities. Susak helped to persuade Bosnia's Croats to accept the 1995 Dayton peace accord, which thwarted the extremists' goal of uniting with Croatia proper. In 1997, fearing Washington would punish an unco-operative Croatia, Susak helped arrange the surrender of 11 Bosnian Croat war crimes suspects to The Hague tribunal. He is survived by wife Djurdja. They had no children.
These actions led to the creation of a Croatian self-proclaimed entity called Herceg-Bosna, and war between Croatian Defence Council
and Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
, who had previously allied against the Serbs. A report by the Croatian Commission of the Defence Council found that Šušak was responsible for the fall of the Bosnian Posavina in September 1992 and handed over territory strategically vital to the Bosnian Serb forces. In 1994, a group of HDZ officials including current Croatian President Stjepan Mesić
left the party because of Tuđman and Šušak's politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina and because of policy issues that Mesić and Manolić were criticised for within the party.
In the same year, after U.S.-led diplomatic effort, Croats and Bosniaks reconciled, which led to a numerous offensives against Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia in 1995. Šušak and Tuđman helped organize and put into action Operation Flash
and Operation Storm
, military strikes against rebel Serbs in Croatia. Bosnian Serbs suffered a series of defeats as well, so they were forced to start peace negotiations that produced the Dayton Agreement
, where Šušak was one of the key Croatian negotiators in Dayton
.
Under and after the war he was criticized, for the estbalishment of firm RH Alan which was rumoured to have acquired weapons in violation of a UN arms embargo.
In 1997, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
contemplated subpoenaing Šušak. He was represented by the future president of Croatia Ivo Josipović
at these proceedings. In the same year he helped the Tribunal with persuading 11 Bosnian Croat war crimes suspects to surrender.
. He was treated in Walter Reed Army Medical Center
, just like Tuđman, who was also diagnosed with cancer at about the same time. Gojko Šušak died in Zagreb
at the age of 53. Šušak cultivated some notable friendships and close ties to the U.S. government, especially with U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry
. Perry represented Washington at Šušak's funeral but also said he came as a personal friend. In his eulogy, he paraphrased Shakespeare's verse saying "Now there goes a man, we shall never look upon his like again". In Croatia, Šušak was considered a key figure in the successful war effort by some, and a ringleader of high-ranking corrupted officials by others.
An arterial road in Zagreb
, Gojko Šušak Avenue
was named posthumously after him.
Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
, a nationalistic party seeking Croatian independence from Yugoslavia. When Tuđman became President of Croatia in 1991, Šušak was appointed Minister of Defence, an office he held during the Yugoslav Wars
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
, until his death. During his office he was an important ally of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
He has been accused of war crimes, although he was never indicted.
Personal life
Šušak was born on March 16, 1945 in Široki BrijegŠiroki Brijeg
-Name:The name of the city means "the wide hill" in Croatian . The city is also sometime referred to as "Široki Brig" and among the inhabitants of Herzegovina simply as "Široki" . Between 1945 and 1990, the name was officially Lištica, after the river that flows through it.-Geography:The river...
, in the Croat-dominated part of the Herzegovina
Herzegovina
Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
region, then Ustasha-led Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
, of present-day south-west Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. He was the sixth child of Ante and Stana Šušak. His father and brother disappear with the Second World War, last seen prior to the Partisans' entering in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
.
After graduating from high school, Šušak studied mathematics in Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
, but when he received a draft call to the Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
, Šušak decided to emigrate, allegedly with the help of Croatian Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
priests, he illegally crossed the Yugoslav
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
-Austrian border. This claim is disputed by some, particularly Paul Hockenos, who in his book, Homeland Calling, states Šušak probably left Yugoslavia, like most Croatians, as a guest worker, but also does not back this claim with substantial evidence.
From Austria, Šušak went to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1969, where two of his brothers had previously emigrated. There he worked in construction and doing odd jobs. His political opponents in 1990s mockingly called him "Pizza man", since he also owned and ran a pizzeria for some time.
In 1973, he married another Croatian immigrant, Đurđica Gojmerac, a social worker at the time. They had two daughters, Katarina and Jelena, a son named Tomislav, and lived peacefully in suburbia. However, Šušak was at the same time one of the most active Croatian political immigrants in Canada working on the organization of Croatian schools where he also taught classes, football clubs, church events etc. His most notable work was aiding the opening of the Croatian studies chair at the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
in 1988.
He was an anti-communist and Croat nationalist, directly involved with the independence, and subsequent, war of Croatia. He was an important ally to the United States, who had during the war persuaded Šušak to let go of his aim to annex the Bosnian Croat areas.
Politics
In 1979 Šušak with his immigrant friends, planned to place a pig in a coffin in front of the Yugoslav Embassy, with either the intention of letting it loose on embassy grounds or possibly killing it. However, this plan was disrupted by the Ontario Humane Society, who rescued the animal.During his exile, Šušak was associated with Croatian Franciscans in Canada, especially with their mission in Norval
Norval, Ontario
Norval is an unincorporated community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada. Situated on the Credit River, it is located approximately 55 km west of Toronto and is part of the Regional Municipality of Halton....
, which was politically active. Šušak and Norval priests were hosts to Partizan
Partizan
Partizan is the Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, and Slovene term for a partisan. It is usually used in those languages to denote a member of the World War II resistance movement, the Yugoslav Partisans, which are always mentioned in those languages without the adjective "Yugoslav", i.e...
General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
turned dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
Franjo Tuđman, during his visits to Croatian immigrants in Canada in late 1980s. During that visit, Tuđman and Šušak became friends and built a bond that would last until Šušak's death.
Šušak and his circle managed to raise large amounts of money among Croats in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
that helped Tuđman finance his rise to power in Croatia. Šušak went back to Croatia in 1989, and became a high official in Tuđman 's party, Croatian Democratic Union
Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
(HDZ), and after the party's win in the 1990 election (the first free election in Croatia and rest of Yugoslavia since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
), Minister of Immigration.
On June 25, 1991 Croatia and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
declared independence from Yugoslavia. In September 1991, Šušak was named minister of defense while Croatia was at war with rebel Croatian Serbs supported by the Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
. His role as Minister of Defence remains controversial. There are claims that under Šušak's management of purchasing arms for the Croatian Army a lot of funds raised from immigrants were misappropriated. The murdered chief of police for eastern Slavonia, Josip Reihl-Kir, a couple of days before his murder said that "Šušak is going to order his liquidation" , and he also stated that Šušak was in the group that fired Armbrust missiles on civilian houses in Borovo Selo in April 1994, preceding Borovo Selo killings.
Susak gained economic aid from wealthy emigrees. The Serbs managed to occupy a quarter of Croatia's territory, declaring a Republic of Serbian Krajina
Republic of Serbian Krajina
The Republic of Serbian Krajina was a self-proclaimed Serb entity within Croatia. Established in 1991, it was not recognized internationally. It formally existed from 1991 to 1995, having been initiated a year earlier via smaller separatist regions. The name Krajina means "frontier"...
. When war spread to neighbouring, multi-ethnic federal republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995), he spearheaded support to Bosnian Croats throughout the war, including a year-long war with the Bosnian Muslims.
In the course of the armed conflict, Šušak spearheaded support to Bosnia's Croats throughout the 1992-95 war there, including a year-long conflict with the Muslims, during which both sides committed atrocities. Susak helped to persuade Bosnia's Croats to accept the 1995 Dayton peace accord, which thwarted the extremists' goal of uniting with Croatia proper. In 1997, fearing Washington would punish an unco-operative Croatia, Susak helped arrange the surrender of 11 Bosnian Croat war crimes suspects to The Hague tribunal. He is survived by wife Djurdja. They had no children.
These actions led to the creation of a Croatian self-proclaimed entity called Herceg-Bosna, and war between Croatian Defence Council
Croatian Defence Council
The Croatian Defence Council was a military formation of the self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia during the Bosnian War.-History:...
and Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina established by the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 following the outbreak of the Bosnian War...
, who had previously allied against the Serbs. A report by the Croatian Commission of the Defence Council found that Šušak was responsible for the fall of the Bosnian Posavina in September 1992 and handed over territory strategically vital to the Bosnian Serb forces. In 1994, a group of HDZ officials including current Croatian President Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić is a Croatian politician and former President of Croatia. Before his ten-year presidential term between 2000 and 2010 he held the posts of Speaker of the Croatian Parliament , Prime Minister of Croatia , the last President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia , Secretary General...
left the party because of Tuđman and Šušak's politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina and because of policy issues that Mesić and Manolić were criticised for within the party.
In the same year, after U.S.-led diplomatic effort, Croats and Bosniaks reconciled, which led to a numerous offensives against Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia in 1995. Šušak and Tuđman helped organize and put into action Operation Flash
Operation Flash
The Serbs in western Slavonia took part in the organized rebellion against the government of the Republic of Croatia that had just proclaimed independence in June 1991, by proclaiming the Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Western Slavonia in August 1991...
and Operation Storm
Operation Storm
Operation Storm is the code name given to a large-scale military operation carried out by Croatian Armed Forces, in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to gain back control of parts of Croatia which had been claimed by separatist ethnic Serbs, since early...
, military strikes against rebel Serbs in Croatia. Bosnian Serbs suffered a series of defeats as well, so they were forced to start peace negotiations that produced the Dayton Agreement
Dayton Agreement
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement, Dayton Accords, Paris Protocol or Dayton-Paris Agreement, is the peace agreement reached at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio in November 1995, and formally signed in Paris on...
, where Šušak was one of the key Croatian negotiators in Dayton
Dayton
Dayton is a city in Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, United States.Dayton may also refer to:-United States:*Dayton, Alabama*Dayton, California, in Butte County*Dayton, Lassen County, California*Dayton, Idaho*Dayton, Indiana...
.
Under and after the war he was criticized, for the estbalishment of firm RH Alan which was rumoured to have acquired weapons in violation of a UN arms embargo.
In 1997, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
contemplated subpoenaing Šušak. He was represented by the future president of Croatia Ivo Josipović
Ivo Josipović
Ivo Josipović is a Croatian politician who has been President of Croatia since 2010. Josipović entered politics as a member of the League of Communists of Croatia , and played a key role in the democratic transformation of this party as the author of the first statute of the SDP that replaced the...
at these proceedings. In the same year he helped the Tribunal with persuading 11 Bosnian Croat war crimes suspects to surrender.
Death
A heavy smoker, Šušak was diagnosed with throat cancerEsophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
. He was treated in Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...
, just like Tuđman, who was also diagnosed with cancer at about the same time. Gojko Šušak died in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
at the age of 53. Šušak cultivated some notable friendships and close ties to the U.S. government, especially with U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry
William Perry
William James Perry is an American businessman and engineer who was the United States Secretary of Defense from February 3, 1994, to January 23, 1997, under President Bill Clinton...
. Perry represented Washington at Šušak's funeral but also said he came as a personal friend. In his eulogy, he paraphrased Shakespeare's verse saying "Now there goes a man, we shall never look upon his like again". In Croatia, Šušak was considered a key figure in the successful war effort by some, and a ringleader of high-ranking corrupted officials by others.
An arterial road in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Gojko Šušak Avenue
Gojko Šušak Avenue
Gojko Šušak Avenue is an avenue in northeastern Zagreb, Croatia. It serves as part of the boundary between city districts Maksimir and Gornja Dubrava. Spanning between Štefanovec Road and Dubrava Avenue, the avenue has four lanes and a parking lot along its western side. Its most important...
was named posthumously after him.