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Al-Ahram Weekly 29 Apr. - 5 May 1999 Issue No. 427 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 29 Apr. - 5 May 1999 Issue No. 427
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Focus Special Travel Sports People Features Living Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Up in arms
The war in Kosovo has gone on for too long, a little like a novel that soon becomes boring because the end is too far away -- except, of course, that in this war the suffering and death is all too real. Whatever the ending, at any rate, there has been too much bloodshed at this point to justify NATO's bombast.
To achieve its goals, the war should have been quick and concentrated. Then it would have convinced us of NATO's effectiveness; it would also have succeeded in sparing as many lives as possible. So far, it has achieved neither of these aims.
Someone once said that it is often possible to predict how a war will begin, but never when it will end. In this case, with the outcome still so uncertain, it seems that the guns will never fall silent. Now the allies' reputation is at stake, especially since the Serbs continue to escalate the violence against their Muslim victims. While the Serbs cannot actually say that they have won the battle, however, it is abundantly clear that NATO, despite the media fanfare, has scored only losses: the sophisticated weapons that were intended to protect the refugees have killed and wounded them, proving yet again that there is no such thing as a "smart" weapon. The allies have lost face, and even America is badly shaken.
If anyone has scored a victory in this sordid, tragic war, it is surely the arms dealers, and especially the American military-industrial complex. For them, a new war is always good news, since it means good business and high profits.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
