This morning I cannot sleep. It was still dark when I woke up, but the quagmire into which I have fallen kept buzzing in my mind. Late last night my lawyer called me to tell me that I now face two court cases for slander: one from the mayor of Motovun, and another from the municipal council. They, too, feel deeply offended by my ruminations about widespread conflict of interests in Croatia, in which I have mentioned them in passing (“Croatia Spells Conflict of Interest,” October 3, 2008). I do not know yet how much money all of them want from me, but it is now clear that the two cases will take a long time to disentangle.

Ever since my lawyer called me I cannot forget the several recent international indices that compare Croatia to other countries. And I keep repeating the score to anyone who would listen to me. In terms of the United Nations’ Human Development Index, in 2008 Croatia fell between Latvia and Argentina, whereas it was between Uruguay and Costa Rica in 2007, and between Uruguay and Kuwait in 2006 (“Smack Between Uruguay and Kuwait,” December 6, 2007). Next, in terms of the World Bank’s Doing Business Index, Croatia fell between Guyana and Nicaragua in 2008 (“Doing Business in Croatia,” September 10, 2008). Then, in terms of the Index of Economic Freedom compiled in 2008 by the Heritage Foundation, Croatia fell between Nepal and Tajikistan (“Smack Between Nepal and Tajikistan,” November 13, 2008). Finally, in terms of the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, in 2008 Croatia fell between Namibia and Samoa (“Smack Between Namibia and Samoa,” December 22, 2008). For some reason, all these indices offer me some solace in my bizarre situation. At least I can locate myself a bit more precisely on the map of the world.

Of course, this morning I am not sure what use I will have of Latvia, Argentina, Guyana, Nicaragua, Nepal, Tajikistan, Namibia, and Samoa when I enter the Municipal Court in Pazin this Friday morning. How will the names of these exotic countries, which keep buzzing in my mind ever since last night, help me cope with the court proceedings, which are now so much more complex than they were even yesterday? Would it not be much easier if I admitted to myself once and for all that I now happen live smack between the devil and the deep blue sea?