That article distorts the facts.
One of the reasons Clinton acted in Bosnia to prevent a genocidal war, aside from the humanitarian considerations, was to prevent Islamic radicals from gaining a foothold in that part of Europe. There is evidence that Iranian and other radical groups did start mobilizing to protect Muslims there, but Clinton's intervention and the cessation of violence against Muslims essentially muted the radicals' efforts.
Can you imagine the reaction in the Muslim world had Milosovic killed a million Muslims?
The article states: Today, there are tens of thousands of Islamic insurgents throughout such countries as Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo, and many of them are moving west to Austria, Hungary, Germany and Switzerland.
And where did the number "tens of thousands" come from? And moving to... Switzerland? Switzerland has some of the toughest immigration laws and protected borders of any country and a Muslim radical in Switzerland would stand out like a three headed alien.
For a more balanced report on Bosnia, see:
csmonitor.com
Some points from the link:
Just four years ago, driving into town from Sarajevo's Butmir Airport meant driving past bullet-riddled terminal buildings, neighborhoods of burned-out single-family homes, and partially collapsed commercial buildings before arriving at the foot of the skeletal remains of the 22-story office towers that preside over the city center.
Today travelers pass through an airport of glass and polished marble, neighborhoods of new and rebuilt houses, apartment blocks, and commercial buildings, including the rehabilitated office towers, sheathed in mirrored glass. With each passing month, fewer physical reminders of the 1992-95 war remain, and, on the surface at least, Sarajevo again resembles a normal peacetime city.
While world attention has been focused on Iraq and the Middle East, the international reconstruction effort in Bosnia has begun to bear fruit, and not just for Bosnians. As the country's infrastructure, border patrol services, and national governing institutions have been rebuilt, experts say it has become a less attractive potential host for global terrorist networks like Al Qaeda, which seek out "weak states" with porous borders, ineffective governments, and sympathetic locals.
"If I were a terrorist group member I would think twice about coming to this country," says Senad Slatina, an analyst for the International Crisis Group, a conflict- resolution organization based in Brussels, noting the presence of 10,000 NATO peacekeepers in Bosnia. "On top of that, Bosnian Muslims are so European that the radical form of Islam has absolutely no chance of spreading here."
The eight-year international reconstruction effort in Bosnia shows both how long it can take to rebuild a fractured nation - and how eventual success can help fight the war on terror. |
