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Re: Rwanda vs. Kosovo

Blagg, Adrian <AdrianBlagg at cybertek_com> wrote:
> wars starting in the
> former Yugoslavia (i.e., Sarajevo, Serbia) tend to spread and escalate into
> what is known as World Wars.  Example?  June 28, 1914:  Franz Ferdinand's
> assassination -- no matter the political purpose behind it -- touched off
> WWI.  WWI led directly to WWII.

I think a few facts are in order on this topic:
The assassination itself did "touch off" WWI, but it was 
not a direct cause.  The direct cause of WWI has much more 
to do with the colonial empires of the European powers, 
the growing friction between them as they ran out of places 
to colonize, and the alliances they had set up amongst
themselves.  Austria would have crushed the Serbs, if
Russia hadn't promised to defend the Serbs, and Germany
to defend Austria, etc.
Not to say that the current conflict couldn't spread.  But
to lay the blame for WWI largely on the Balkans is a
drastic oversimplification.

On the general topic, I think that the US in many ways
obligated itself to do something last year, when we started
to talk about arming the KLA and threatening bombing strikes.
We said we would help the Kosovars, but now maybe we've
decided we don't have the stomach for it.
And I agree with what Kyle said: that it's the right thing
to do.

And, having said all that, I think that Clinton and his
advisors have screwed up worse than any administration in a
long time.  Every third-grader knows that if you start
making threats, you need to have a Plan B in case the
threats don't work.  Apparently Clinton's only Plan B was
more of Plan A.  I feel sorry for anyone who ever placed
their trust in him; speaking as a very liberal person, he
has done nothing but disappoint for the last 6 years, and
this is looking like the biggest disappointment of all.

---
Mike.                               animals think they're pretty smart
alchemy at crl_com                    shit on the ground, see in the dark
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