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Al-Ahram Weekly 8 - 14 April 1999 Issue No. 424 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 8 - 14 April 1999 Issue No. 424
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters A rehearsal for war
By Salama Ahmed Salama
For the first time since the end of World War II, a real war has clouded Europe's skies. While the battlefield may be limited to a narrow area in central Europe, the methods of warfare and the management of combat operations have drawn largely on state-of-the-art technology, smart weapons and intelligence systems.
The war in the Balkans is a rehearsal for the wars of the 21st century. When it embarked on its military adventure, NATO was well aware that staunch Serbian resistance could lead to loss of lives on both sides. Two weeks of intensive bombing by NATO could not break Milosevic's will. The Kosovars, who have become the fuel of this dirty war, are paying the price alone, while NATO losses have been limited to one aircraft and the capture of three soldiers. In sharp contrast, the confrontation with Iraq lasted hardly a week. Evidently, the political and strategic objectives which spurred the strike against Yugoslavia are not as humanitarian as they would seem.
NATO seeks to attain its objectives at any price, even if it means sending ground troops to Kosovo, and halting Russia's endeavours to end the war. In fact, NATO did not hesitate to condemn Ibrahim Rugova when he met with Milosevic in Belgrade. Not so long ago, Rugova was an agent of the US and NATO.
So will hostilities continue until Milosevic's forces are completely crushed and the displaced people allowed to return to their homes? Or is the war only the first spark in a conflict that will eventually destabilise Europe?
The complete picture of the military confrontation, and the parties to benefit from it have yet to be revealed, but two matters are worthy of mention. First, Britain seems especially keen to press on with the war, and to take the initiative of military action to cow the regime in Belgrade, even if that means flouting international law.
British Prime Minister Blair is spearheading a wide-scale Western propaganda campaign to justify military operations and the heavy bombing of Belgrade. He is using the same arguments and slogans used against the Nazis to persuade the British and the Europeans in general of the legitimacy of the war. While certain European leaders have manifested reservations as to the extent of the military intervention, Blair is urging NATO to become even more deeply involved.
According to certain analysts, Blair is acting in support of US President Clinton, since NATO's adventure is not that popular in the US, and may become even less so if ground troops are sent to Kosovo.
Secondly, NATO has outdone the US's performance during Desert Storm in terms of the media blackout, possibly to accomplish undeclared military objectives. Both parties use the media as an effective weapon to serve their interests. Thus the press and news networks refrain from diffusing any information not disclosed by the NATO military spokesman, and the spokesman, for his part, has remained tight-lipped on details of NATO tactics and military plans.
On the other hand, Belgrade has expelled foreign correspondents, and Belgrade state-run television is the only source of information on the ground. The Yugoslav people are being mobilised, and their attitude so far suggests that the results may not be favourable to NATO.
Russia and China will also have to learn lessons from this war. The easiest thing is to start a war, the hardest is to end it: this truism is unfolding before our eyes. The experience in Kosovo will exact an exorbitant price. It is a model for wars of the future, wars in which the world will not differentiate between innocent and guilty, murderer and murdered, aggressor and victim -- wars in which we will stand by, watching helplessly, fearfully, or rapaciously.
