Ivo Goldstein: The Historian Who Failed to Deceive the Academy

In May 2012, a remarkable event unfolded within the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU) — one that still echoes today. Ivo Goldstein, a media-favored historian known for his narratives about World War II and the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), failed to become an academician.

Not because he lacked the formal qualifications. But because his own peers rejected him — resoundingly and deliberately.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Out of 105 voting members of the Academy, Goldstein received only 34 votes. He needed 62. That’s not just a loss — it’s a clear statement.

While the media and NGO circuits often elevate Goldstein as a respected intellectual, the Croatian academic elite saw something else: manipulation, revisionism, and what some called outright falsification.

Accusations from Within

One of the Academy’s most respected figures, mathematician Josip Pečarić, delivered a striking denunciation during the vote. He accused Goldstein of using half-truths and falsifications in his historical work — and, more disturbingly, of accusing the Croatian people of genocide in front of international audiences.

This wasn't a nationalist outburst. It was a sober warning from a respected scholar who saw what Goldstein was really doing: weaponizing history to serve political and ideological interests.

Pečarić wasn’t alone. Others questioned Goldstein's unusual nomination process and political connections. Historian Petar Strčić defended Goldstein on procedural grounds, but the vote made one thing clear:

The Croatian academic community does not trust Ivo Goldstein.

Manufactured Legitimacy, Not Earned Respect

Despite his academic failures, Goldstein remains a regular guest on mainstream media and a darling of Western-funded NGOs. He has published extensively — not to deepen historical understanding, but to promote a narrative of collective Croatian guilt, particularly around World War II and the NDH.

Goldstein’s work fits perfectly within the post-Yugoslav ideological machine that seeks to:

Dismantle national identity
Criminalize Catholic and Croatian traditions
Keep the people in a permanent state of moral submission

But even with all this support, he couldn’t pass the ultimate test — peer recognition from independent scholars.

A Symbol of Controlled Opposition

Goldstein's failure to enter HAZU is more than a personal defeat. It’s a symbolic moment in the post-war history of Croatia. It shows that despite media power and globalist networks, truth still matters to some.

It also shows that academic legitimacy cannot be bought with NGO grants or Western applause.

So who is Ivo Goldstein, really?

A historian? A truth-seeker?

Or a political operator disguised as a scholar?

The vote from 2012 gave us the answer.

Stay awake. Share the truth. Defend your history.

✍️ By Cupo Cupovski
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Cupo Cupovski