Date: Sat, 03 Apr 1999 10:52:27 -0800
From: Dave Hayman <dhayman-AT-igc.org>
Subject: Re: Why Tony Needed A War


I find this persuasive. This is the sort of reason that modern states,
esp. the one I inhabit, use their military power, not for humanitarian
purposes. DC is making a clear and principled argument for opposing NATO
actions, and certainly doesn't deserve to be called reactionary for it.

I am surprised that Unka Bart, whose bullshit detector is usually quite
sensitive, thinks that the NATO intervention will somehow ameliorate the
situation. We all wish that Good People had been able to intervene in
past atrocities, but they were usually prevented by reasons external and
internal. Air war is just throwing gas on the flames. Ground troops
probably could enforce some sort of cease-fire, but only as long as they
stayed.

We have to take the long view. And I don't think saying so puts any
Kosovar blood on my hands, or DC's.

Dave Coull wrote:
> 
> I firmly believe that the reasons this war in Europe started
> had a lot to do with domestic politics in the NATO countries.
> Now, no doubt our American colleagues can come up
> with reasons why Bill Clinton, who declined to participate
> in Vietnam, felt keener on  _this_  foreign adventure.
> But the NATO offensive would have been impossible
> without the enthusiastic support of British prime minister
> Tony Blair, foreign secretary Robin Cook, and Defence Secretary
> George Robertson. If anything, they have been even more
> gung-ho than the Americans. Why ?
> 
> Well, Robin Cook is Scottish, so is George Robertson,
> and Tony Blair himself has Scottish parents. They are
> all people of Caledonian origins who have done well
> out of the United Kingdom. All three of them are members
> of a UK government which definitely does not want the UK
> to break up. There is an election for the Scottish parliament
> on May 6th, and until a couple of weeks ago the Labour
> Party and the Scottish National party were running neck
> and neck in the opinion polls. It looked distinctly possible
> that the Labour Party were going to lose that election.
> 
> But Tony knew that the SNP was notoriously peacenik
> and anti-NATO. What he needed was a war. The best
> way to keep the United Kingdom together was to encourage
> the further disintegration of Yugoslavia.
> 
> The bombing of Yugoslavia started, and the leader of the SNP
> went on television to condemn it as folly. With "our boys" in
> action, this did not go down well in Scotland. Sure enough,
> Labour is ahead of the SNP in the opinion polls again.
> 
> Here in Dundee, the largest church in town, the one which,
> if it was catholic or anglican, would be called the "cathedral",
> has a flag flying over it. Up until a couple of weeks ago that flag
> was the union jack. But there must have been complaints from
> members of the congregation, because the British flag was
> pulled down, and for a few days the Scottish flag was raised.
> That was a sign of the way the wind was blowing. Then SNP
> leader Alex Salmond gave his anti-war speech. Now they've
> raised the union jack again. Onward Christian Soldiers.
> 
> Dave