The World will live with the negative consequences of this craziness in eastern Europe for many decades to come....including failure to intervene in situations where true government-inspired mass murder and slaughter are actually occurring such as the Sudan or East Timor....
WHAT!!!!???? You support taking action in Sudan and East Timor, but not Kosovo??
Just how the heck do you justify and rationalize this hypocrisy??
Are you claiming that Milosevic's regime is not guilty of brutalizing and murdering the Kosovars??
Or is just a matter of degree?
I have the BALLS to state outright that our interests, economic and military, are at risk because of Serbia's agressions in a way that is not possible in Africa or Indonesia.
We have the economy and political stability of, Europe, our LARGEST trading partner, at risk. We have the reputation and credibility of the largest international alliance outside of the UN at risk here.
Show me where even one of these other national travestries, horrendous as they are, even pale in comparison to the potential disruption that can occur in the Balkans.
I wish we could stop ALL THE BRUTALITY that occurs around the world, but we just don't have the will or the resources to do so. The western nations certainly can't fight all the fires that Moscow and China seem to want to forment.
So while the UN/NATO can't fix everyone's "world", it can directly impact those things that AFFECT OUR DIRECT ECONOMIC AND MILITARY INTERESTS.
Yes, we will live with the consequences of what transpires in the Balkans for decades to come. That's why it is so important that NATO ENSURE that any resolution or peace treaty provides a stable framework for controlling inter-ethnic conflicts, not just another band-aid like the one they applied in Bosnia several years ago.
Again, I am VERY aware that there exist other conflicts in the world, especially Eritrea and Ethiopia, but they simply do not rise high on the priority list, to their suffering.
Maybe if folks like yourself were more willing to cast the deserved share of blame on Milosevic and more pressure upon to settle this crisis, we'd have the resources to dedicate to these tertiary conflicts.
But just do not try to convince me that the Balkans are less important than centuries old inter-tribal warfare in relatively undeveloped nations. People go to war not just for humanitarian reasons, but to protect their economic well-being. When Africa reaches that point, it will pop up on the UN crisis resolution radar screen.
I have a lot of admiration for Jimmy Carter's alternative track diplomatic efforts, but I believe he is missing the mark in not understanding the implications for Europe's future should Serbia be permitted to get away with this without having to back down.
Regards,
Ron
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