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Pastimes : Kosovo -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (9323)	5/21/1999 12:31:00 AM
From: Enigma	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 17770

DD - I agree - that's why I said our 'ex-enemies and enemies'. In answer to the rest of your post the thing that stinks about the R. Accord was the shotgun stance - 'sign something which we know you can't or we'll bomb you'. All of this was done with the knowledge that it would lead to a hugely magnified disaster - for which we had no plan whatsoever - and we're still making it up by the seat of the pants after all this time. As for what would have happened if we'd taken a different tack - we can't possibly know. I went to an interesting lecture a couple of weeks back by a U.of T. Professor whose name I can't now recall - but he is an acknowledged expert on the Soviet Union and ex-soviet block - and it opened my eyes to the position the Serbs were placed in - and his insights into the stance taken by Albright were interesting - a shaky hold on her job - fearful of Holbrook getting at least the job of Ambassador to the UN - and overcompensating at the R. meetings by being as macho as all get out - terming Milosev as a 'school yard bully who would come to heel after a few days of bombing'. d

To: Neocon who wrote (9323)	5/21/1999 1:33:00 AM
From: Bob Lao-Tse	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 17770

"The problem is not that we did something, since the very people who will be the most critical of this would have castigated NATO for inaction if it had turned into a humanitarian disaster while we sat on our hands." You know, I've seen you express this sentiment before, and I don't think it's right. While it is true that we would've taken some heat from the nations of the world if Kosovo had turned into a humanitarian catastrophe and it could have been demonstrated that our intervention could have stopped the catastrophe (which it obviously hasn't, but that's another matter), that in itself is clearly not a justification for any of our actions. For better or for worse, it is simply wrong to punish anyone for what they might do. That is the road to repression. You should hear my views on speed limits and drunk-driving laws, but if I ever decide to stick my neck out that far, it'll be on the libertarian thread. -BLT