It appears to the be destiny of
the United States to go into the Balkans, to meet them, and to
kill them. This has been the desire of two presidents. Finally
this President appears to have found a way to get into the mess.
Three years ago I started
researching the history of the area hoping to put together some
historic perspective as related to our involvement. I got back
about 150 years and found nothing touching upon the common
European history save for the start of World War I. That only
happened because of all Europe was involved in mutual defense
treaties and those changed every few years so there was no
particular connection between which side they were on at the time
and who started the war.
At least that far back, the
history of the region is about as generally stimulating and
relevant to the world as the political history of the city of
Bogata, Columbia, perhaps less so. And given the general history
of the region going back to the Roman occupation, there is only
one clear way to keep these people from killing each other. That
is the the method Tito used. Making the penalty for breaking the
peace worse than any possible gains.
That means the methods of
the Red Army or the Korean Army are better suited to keep the
peace than the US Army. But regardless of the method used,
keeping the peace means in some manner making the penalty for
breaking the peace worse than any possible gain. That means if
US troops are there, they are there to kill people.
Now the UN tradition of
peace keeping has been to run away when the shooting starts. So
if the US is part of a UN force, there is no likelihood any
American soldier will be injured save by accident. The UN has
changed a bit from its days of mass slaughter in Katanga.
This President has some how
managed to get the nine nations (do you believe nine?) that have
to agree to this peace to agree to negotiate only if the US has
tens of thousands of troops on the ground. A negotiator like
this deserves a long rest in a safe think tank some place where
he can not harm himself or others. The agreement we have, if it
can be called that, is that maybe they will agree to a peace if
the US is there to kill people who violate it.
However we are not dealing
with people who want peace. It is no secret that one side will
shell its own people in hopes of getting the "peace keepers" to
punish the other side. One of the Canadian commanders, Rose I
believe, confirmed this, in fact threatened to leave because of
it.
There is no indication we
are dealing with people who have anything like a normal western
European view of life and war. And our President wants to send
our troops into this mess under the command of the UN whose war
office closes at the end of the working day and which gives
orders that permit hundreds of troops to be taken hostage without
a shot being fired. The flag of the UN should be a laurel wreath
surrounding a bullseye.
Killing Balkans with air
strikes looks good on TV but it really doesn't kill all that
many. Now, if this agreement works out, we will be in a position
to kill them up close and in greater numbers. Forget the fact
that no amount of killing short of genocide will bring lasting
peace to this area.
The only way to lasting
peace is that of Tito, permanent and total occupation and
retaliation that makes breaking the peace of Rome look like a
pacifist response. If we are going to force peace there is no
way around it. We are going to be there for centuries, for the
foreseeable future, certainly beyond the lifetime of anyone alive
today. We are going to adopt the determined viciousness of the
armies we abhor.
Why will we do this?
Because if we do not, there will be no peace; the killing will
continue. And if there will be no peace, why are we going there
in the first place?
So the question is not
whether we have a national or a humanitarian interest in the
region. Perhaps we do, perhaps we don't. I do not think so but
we can debate that for years.
What we have to address is
the kind of military, the kind of country we will necessarily
become if we are to stop the killing. That is not the kind of
country I wish to be a part of. It is not the kind of military I
want this country to be known for.
I don't think we are ready
for any of the consequences of becoming involved in the Balkans.
I don't think we are ready to become a county of either targets
or murderers. There is no way we can keep the peace in the
Balkans without one or the other.