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Stripped of ethnic and regional antagonisms, Yugoslav nationalism could be a positive force. It helped Tito maintain autonomy against the aggressive designs of Stalin -- and in that sense was an early harbinger of the freedom Eastern Europe has now found. "Nationalism is not necessarily a bad thing," argues Miroslav Hroch, a historian at Prague's Charles University. He believes after four decades of communism it is inevitable that people will seek a national identity. "An old order has collapsed, and people have to belong to something," he says. "There is nothing wrong with their rallying to the flag." True, as long as the old demons do not wrap themselves in the flag as well.