 |
|
 |
| NATO's BRUTE FORCE AN IMBECILIC
POLICY |
|
| For Ottawa Citizen, April 17, 1999. |
|
| I believe that Canada and the other NATO countries are
following an imbecilic policy in Yugoslavia. If there's anything we should have learned in
this century it's that you don't settle international disputes by brute force and by
bombing. It didn't work in the Battle of Britain. It didn't work when Allied bombers
pulverized German cities. It didn't work in Iraq. lt won't work this time. We should have
negotiated seriously with (Yugoslavian President Slobodan) Milosevic, but we did not. |
|
|
|
 |
|
The Rambouillet agreement wasn't
really an agreement. It was an ultimatum put to the Serbs and to the Albanians. They were
put in a room, they were given a document, and they were told: "Sign it."
As it turned out, both parties walked away. Clearly, people went back to the Albanians and
said, "Don't be foolish if you sign it, we can bomb the Serbs." Negotiations
should have been accompanied by incentives - a little more financial assistance, more
economic aid. But there was no carrot used, just a stick, and that's a bad policy to use
when dealing with the Serbs.
Remember, Milosevic has no reason to look favourably upon NATO. Prior to Kosovo, the
biggest ethnic cleansing took place in Croatia. Hundreds of thousands of Serbs who had
lived there for hundreds of years were cleansed out of Croatia with the help of NATO air
strikes. |
|
 |
|
| Of course, there are people being killed in Kosovo by
the Serbs. And the ethnic cleansing is terrible. But the bombs they're dropping on Kosovo
are 2000 pounds apiece. And there are now 1000 aircraft, some of them carrying up to 16
bombs. They're going to completely pulverize the country, killing as many Albanians as
Serbs. Any sensible person recognizes that things for both sides will be much worse after
the bombing than before. The bombing was a stupid move, with no long-term objective. It's
a macho thing, as much based on domestic American politics as what was actually going on
in Kosovo. And with NATO's credibility now at stake, there's no way out. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| This intervention has destroyed NATO. It's
proven itself to be an aggressive, destructive force. And the idea that western
democracies have respect for law and human rights and United Nations has withered greatly
in Eastern Europe. We've lost the moral high ground. |
|
|
|
|
| There is old Balkan saying:
"Never threaten a Serb." They're tough people. You won't find them surrendering
CNN television crews as the Iraqis did. Not all the Serbs supported Milosevic, but now
virtually all have no choice but to do so. If there were democrats in Serbia, they've gone
now. I often met with Milosevic. I found him tough, astute, a very good politician . He's
no worse than the others. The attempt by the western press to demonize him is nonsense. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The KLA were heavily armed rebels. And you don't
intervene lightly in civil war. The whole matter should have been referred to the UN
Security Council, and I would have hoped that Foreign Affairs Minister (Lloyd) Aworthy
would have insisted on that point. That's what the Security Council is for. Otherwise, any
intervention is unlegal under the terms of the UN Chapter, which we've just tossed aside. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| A lot of people say the Russian would have
vetoed an intervention force. But that's the point. Those that drafted the Charter wanted
unanimity before the decision to intervene in sovereign states could be made. After all
this year, NATO's got the power, but 20 years from now, somebody else might have it. Then,
we will hope that every one respects the Charter. But did we? The Canadian Armed Forces
are clearly in over their heads. (Former U.S. President) Theodore Roosevelt said you
should walk quietly and carry a big stick. Well, we've been bragging and walking pretty
noisily and carrying a twig
|
 |
|
