Colleagues,
As something of a regional specialist I have followed the
discussion about the Kosovo Crisis with professional as
well as personal interest. I would like to fully endorse
several points made by Smith, O'Toal and Gardner (as well
as others in other fora entirely):
1. when this crisis is "over" (whatever "over" turns out to
mean), I have no doubt at all that proof positive will be
procured about a genocide in Kosovo led by the Milosevic
government in Belgrade and its paramilitary henchmen.
In fact proof virtually positive already exists for anyone
who cares to look for it. Folks should therefore avoid
the attempt to occupy a false middle ground by condemning
both sides for atrocities.
Related to this I might add that there is solid
documentation that the JNA was indeed preparing to mount a
major escalation of the conflict in Kosovo this spring.
Between March 24, 1999 and mid-1996 the conflict had been
largely between local Serb paramilitaries, the
Serb-dominated police force and the growing KLA forces.
2. having said this it is CRUCIAL that caring people NOT
contribute to the ongoing demonisation of the Serbs as a
nation because of the heinous acts of a cabal of truly evil
manipulators. In my personal experience most Serbs hate
Milosevic and his cronies, desire greater democratic
freedom, and until a few years ago were remarkably
ambivalent about Kosovo's status. A programme of positive
engagement is what has been needed with Serbs (and
Croatians, Bosnians, Montenegrins, etc.); one that would
weaken the politicians of division and cynical
manipulation by creating a larger community of democratic
discourse. It continues to be needed, now more than ever.
For this reason I fully support O'Toal's calls for bridge
building, "sister cities" and the like.
Tragically, given what I've already said about Milosevic's
relative lack of "hard" support until recently, the NATO
bombing campaign has helped push a great many
ordinary Serbs, including those who came within a whisker
of removing Milosevic a year and a half ago, into his lap.
As the bombs rain down on their heads, where else can they
go? Kosovo has now become symbolic of much more than the
1389 battle of Kosovo Polje -- it has become symbolic of
the Serbian nation's historic need to endure. This is
surely the worst possible outcome!
3. Though I am ideologically against the present
military campaign, Smith's "realpolitik" approach to the
current situation deserves to be carefully considered.
With infinite regret I think he is correct that a
unilateral cessation of the campaign now would merely
hearten Serb ultra-nationalists, and possibly provide the
opportunity for a redoubled ethnic cleansing campaign. I
have discussed the strategic aspect a great deal lately, and
many seemed eventually to be persuaded that we on the left
may well have to (uncomfortably) support a kind of "Cyprus
Solution" with a foreign army in long term residence in
Kosovo. An uncomfortable position to be sure, but one that
is clearly grounded in the realpolitick of the current
situation.
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Dr. Chad Staddon
School of Geography and Environmental Management
University of the West of England
Coldharbour Lane Bristol
England, BS16 1QY
TEL: (0117) 965-6261, ext.3214
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