The new Balkan chaos

by Kostas Iordanidis

(“Kathimerini”, English edition, May 28, 2001)

The intensification of inter-ethnic conflict in the Former Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and the flight en masse of ethnic Albanians from that country have revived memories of the ethnic Albanians’ exodus from Kosovo. The only difference is that the NATO member states’ governments and their mouthpieces which dramatized the fate of Albanians at the time now support the Albanians’ persecutors.

It is now proven that the “humanitarian” war, a concept coined by the European left under the leadership of former US President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, did not take place in order to protect ethnic Albanians and their rights but was rather targeted at the Serbs in an attempt to overthrow former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

In other words, the finest military mechanism that humanity has ever witnessed was used, contrary to the NATO and UN charters, in an attempt to impose internal changes in Serbia.

Today, NATO troops deployed in Kosovo no longer bomb—as happened during the war on Serbia— political and imaginary military targets from a safe 20,000-foot altitude. They are somewhat exposed to attacks by Albanian guerrillas and are increasingly vulnerable as the crisis in FYROM deepens, with the intimidation of Western governments. One cannot possibly sympathize, of course, with Milosevic and his communist aides. At the same time, however, one cannot help condemning the puppets of the European Left who used to be bitter critics of the transatlantic alliance during the Cold War only to join its ranks later—as did former NATO Secretary-General and current EU Foreign Affairs chief Javier Solana and his NATO successor Secretary-General George Robertson.

Today, the engineers of NATO’s military campaign against Yugoslavia who tried to apply the holocaust-inspired “Never Again” idea to the Kosovo Albanians have retired and it is the Republicans who now have to deal with the mess. It is noteworthy that top Republican officials had previously criticized the Balkan adventure of the Clinton administration.

US President George W. Bush’s new administration is permeated by pragmatism. It faces international reality on traditional political terms. It is primarily interested in ensuring stability and does not aim to universalize liberal ideas. Regrettably, the Balkan region has already become hostage.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell was against the changes of borders in the Balkans and instead favored a compromise solution in FYROM. But this wise policy is no longer viable. Albanian terrorists will finally win this battle and the sooner we realize this, the better for the entire region.