Bill,
I'm afraid your comments need some nuance...
This was a pathetic little war that we lost within 72 hours after we attacked. ALL our objectives were lost at that point:
stopping the killing and ejection of Kosovars,
Well, regarding this point, if Serbian military and (''uncontrolled'') paramilitary forces don't mess around in Kosovo then, little by little, and hopefully by next Winter, all expelled Kosovars will get back home. After all, Pristina henceforth is NATO Headquarters, hosting General Michael Jackson, at the centre of what will be the British sector....
removing Milosovic,
I believe the clock is ticking the last days in power for Milosevic: he's been indicted by the International Crime Tribunal and as such, has lost any credibility as a decent head of state.
minimal collateral damage, low cost conflict, UN resolution and sanctions, low reparation obligation,
I think the above are rather ''trivial'' issues and, please, before weeping about NATO's innocent fatalities, you should wait for evidences of collateral damages perpetrated by the Serb (para-)military in Kosovo (mass graveyards and the like)
respect for NATO war capability,
Hey, tell me about respect for Russia instead! Did you notice how Secretary of State M. Albright skillfully explained to Foreign Minister Ivanov that NATO could handle the occupation of Kosovo without ''help'' from Russia? I bet you she suggested the official excuse about Russia being flat broke.... LOL!
stabilization of the Balkans, etc.
This last point is for sure the yardstick with which we'll assess how the US has successfully managed the whole shebang. However, the US seem to have imposed a NATO command over Kosovo: all the sectors belong to NATO members: France (North), Germany (Southern border with Albania), Italy (Western border with Montenegro), the UK (Centre around capital Pristina), and the US (Eastern border with Macedonia). According to NATO's chain of command, they're all accountable to Supreme Commander Gen. Wesley Clark.
So, all in all, I think the US have successfully handled the situation. |
