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Politics : War -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: goldsnow who wrote (2817)	8/22/2001 12:42:34 PM
From: Thomas M.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 23908

First of all, neither side in Macedonia is receiving massive financial, military, and political aid from the U.S. Thus, we do not have a mandate to correct abuses in the region. We are not the global policeman. If we step in and help out, that's great. However, bearing in mind that we invariably choose the wrong side of the humanitarian equation in foreign affairs, maybe we should quit interfering while we are behind. On the other hand, we have provided huge financial, military, and political support to the cause of expanding Israel's borders and displacing/killing the Palestinians. Second, the Albanians have significant power in the Macedonian government and society, and have equal rights. Palestinians have zero power, and are distinctly second-class citizens in the eye of the law and in the eyes of Israeli Jews. <<< The government and the people were repeatedly applauded by the international community for their efforts in creating and maintaining a multi-ethnic society. Parties representing ethnic minorities sat in parliament. Albanian parties were coalition partners in all governments. Today six out of 17 government ministers are ethnic Albanians, the parliamentary vice-president is Albanian and so are several ambassadors. There are primary and secondary schools and colleges teaching in Albanian; an Albanian university is about to open. There are Albanian TV stations, theaters, newspapers. Why then the recent ethnic violence? Albanian militants claim that they are fighting for human rights. This is a mantra which has proved to be a winning argument in the past. However, this time it is a front for an armed redrawing of the borders. The occupation of territory; abduction and murder of civilians; threats to bomb the parliament building in Skopje; cutting off water supplies to Prilep; and the ethnic cleansing perpetrated on the majority Macedonians (a minority in the area of the conflict) all raise the question: does one fight for language recognition with mortar fire and snipers? >>> One would be hard-pressed to come up with a more accurate description of Israeli behavior, except that "threats to bomb the parliamentary building" should be replaced with "bulldozed the parliamentary building and refused a permit to build a new one". commondreams.org