March 24, 1999
"NATO strikes against Yugoslavia for failing to accept a peace deal." If one doesn't know their history, they may wonder why the world cares so much about the civil war in the former Yugoslavia. Why should the U.S.--the dominant global military power--risk their lives to weaken the military strength of a tiny, virtually insignificant country? Knowing one's world history, however, they'd realize that Yugoslavia, Serbia in particular, has been one of the more influential countries in European history. It sparked World War I.
To recall, Europe was a network of bilateral and multilateral trade and military treaties, so when the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in 1914 by a Serbian nationalist, a localized crisis led to declarations of war which then required allied nations to become involved, and thus bringing virtually the entire continent to war.
The Balkans have always been the hotbed of Europe, and it's not surprising it remains to be today. It's unfortunate, because the selfish decisions of a few people have put entire peoples in danger of violence and conflict. Yet now, NATO has done what it has never done, and attacked a sovereign country as the result of these decisions. While I remain sceptical, I still hope that the force applied by the NATO allies will have its intended effect of establishing a localized peace between the ethnic peoples of the region.
On a different note, I couldn't help but think about the novel/movie "1984" when I heard over the radio the announcement that NATO had begun strikes against Yugoslavia. Here I was, sitting at my computer, and like in the novel, while I work, announcements of conflict echoed through the room...