There has been an avalanche of media commentary emphasizing
the immense and grotesque crimes in the Balkans for nearly a
decade. It is natural that some folks, including many on the left,
have become very impassioned about wishing to see those crimes
curbed. This desire, perfectly reasonable on the face of it (though
at times ignoring other and often worse cases of repression and
violence in the world), has left some folks blind to the reality that
just saying that a policy helps people doesn't mean that, in fact, the
policy does help those people. The desire not to ignore the plight of
the Kosovars is worthy. But to advocate policies that end up
hurting the Kosovars, Yugoslavia as a whole, international law, the
UN, and by the threat-effect all who might oppose U.S. pursuits, on
grounds that at least it is doing something, is unworthy.
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