April 7, 1999

EDITORIAL:
Kosovo raises important questions
___Only hearts of stone have not broken upon the monstrous boulders of genocidal inhumanity in Kosovo these past few weeks.
___Three generations of Americans have no firsthand memory of World War II. Yet the anguished reports of murder, rape, torture and expulsion--all tools of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo--have provided us with at least a flickering image of the horrors of the Holocaust.
___We're viewing the revulsive reverberations of a feud that dates to 1389. The Muslim Ottoman Turks defeated and overran the Orthodox Christian Serbs in the Balkan region of Kosovo, setting the stage for six centuries of enmity and retribution. Today, Yugoslavian Serbs led by dictator Slobodan Milosovic are trying to rid Kosovo of ethnic Albanian Muslims, who comprised 90 percent of the region's population until the scourge began.
___For the most part, the Balkans have been a confusing, violent tinderbox. Until communism fell a decade ago, the passions of the people were squeezed by the iron grip of dictatorship. The vagaries of places like Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia stayed hidden behind the Iron Curtain.
___But people understand execution of children, rape and the torching of homes. Finally, leaders of NATO determined they could refrain no longer. Bombs fell, and Milosovic's butchers stepped up their terror.
___Kosovo represents several unique challenges facing our own nation:
___ What is the United States' political and military role in the world today? We are the planet's lone super power. So, what responsibility attaches to that role?
___For decades, the Soviet Union and its satellites policed much of the world. Communist Marshal Josip Tito's strong arm prevented the ethnic/religious uprisings that have buffeted the Balkans this past decade. Is the United States now responsible to fill this "peace-keeping" role? At what cost?
___The question extends beyond the former Soviet empire. We intervened in Somalia and prevented some slaughter. Yet we stood back in Rwanda and still refrain in Sudan.
___If we're to be the world's cop, how do we determine how to enforce moral and geo-political law? Whose lives are worth risking America's troops? How many lives are worth that risk?
___ Does the just-war theory need to be revised to meet geo-political realities? For centuries, noble people have applied the just-war theory to the process of deciding upon military action. For example, the Gulf War met several just-war criteria: The Iraqis' invasion of Kuwait violated international borders; global consensus supported military intervention; battle primarily was limited to military personnel and targets, etc.
___NATO strikes in Yugoslavia violate at least three principles of just-war theory: The Serbian aggression has not crossed Yugoslav borders. The NATO action has not had United Nations support. And NATO engaged in military action without a clear plan for its limits and end-game scenario. Still, polls show a majority of Americans believe genocide justified intervention.
___Have high-tech warfare and the fragmentation of global boundaries out-dated just-war theory? This is an important question reasonable people must answer.
___ How does a multi-ethnic, religiously diverse nation develop consensus? Ethnicity and religion dominate most violent disputes in the world. Moreover, each of those ethnic groups and religious faiths is represented in America. How do we come to terms with those competing interests as we determine our participation abroad?
___For the sake of the United States as well as the world, our nation must discuss these questions seriously, openly and compassionately. Leaders of all faiths, as well as historians, economists, sociologists, linguists, political scientists and military leaders need to listen and be heard. Politicians need to speak only to ask questions. Stewards of the public trust need to arise to facilitate conversation and expedite consensus on a mature, responsible and compassionate doctrine of international involvement.
___Kosovo is a tinderbox, but it is not unique. We must decide today how we will respond tomorrow.
___ --Marv Knox

E-mail the editor at marvknox@flash.net

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