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DEMOCRACY and MILITARISM: Who is Defending What? We are led to believe that the Pentagon is defending democracy. First, was there an alternative to the Pentagon (and NATO) defense of democracy in Serbia? Second, can the Pentagon subvert or constrain democracy within the U.S.? Hannah Arendt warned long ago that imperialism abroad threatens democracy at home. These quotes show that there is more to worry about than the crimes of Milosevic. IN SERBIA: DEMOCRACY & MILITARISM Zoran Djindjic, the leader of the Democratic Party in Serbia and an organizer of democracy demonstrations says, "The bombs have marginalized any dissenters here, and there's little we democrats can do to affect the situation...Milosevic could be fare more easily eliminated through the development of democracy here than through air strikes. Every crisis strengthens him. The only players that matter now are Milosevic, the Kosovo Liberation Army and the Americans." (Quoted in Steven Erlanger, "In Belgrade, Patriotic Crowds Rally To Rock Music Under Bomb Alert," International Herald Tribute, March 29, 1999, page 7). This same report notes Djindjic's view that "Washington has spent more on one day's bombs than it ever spent helping the democracy movement in Yugoslavia." IN THE UNITED STATES: MILITARISM & DEMOCRACY "President Clinton doesn't mind taking on the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, but the last thing he needs just now is to open a second front against the military-industrial complex. And that is what he was facing after the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a closed-door meeting with him, threatened to go over his head to Congress to get a bigger budget. So, cleaver politician that he is, Clinton last month signaled his support for an increase in military spending of as much as $15 billion, or 5%, a year," Mark Thompson, "The Generals Go Shopping: Clinton's weakness spells good news for weapons merchants," Time Magazine, October 12, 1998, page 59. ----- _________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Jonathan Michael Feldman Linkoping University, Sweden %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%