European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 18, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday january 18,1993 commentary the stars Ano stripes Pago 15 Casablanca Morocco a fifty Januarius ago in a Villa in this North african City Franklin d. Roosevelt used two words that decisively and precisely set the Allied goals of world War 11, determined the shape of the peace a and have affected the lives of most of the worlds people to this Day. A a unconditional surrender a Roosevelt said a those were the Only terms on which the Axis nations All still Strong then would get peace from the allies. And he made it totally Clear that meant not Only military surrender but the end of the political systems of Conquest and subjugation that bound the Axis together. In Casablanca for left no shadings no misunderstandings about his War Aims. No president since has had the desire or courage to be that Clear and candid about his own wartime goals. That is something for Bill Clinton to think about As he reads briefing papers about Ira and Bosnia an Herzegovina. The Casablanca conference of 1943 had a cast of thousands a soldiers on guard detachments of generals and bureaucrats. But it was essentially a two Man affair. Soviet Leader Josef Stalin would not come because the Battle of Stalingrad the first great German defeat was taking Elace. French Gen. Charles de Gaulle and to be dragged in at the end because he mistrusted British and american intentions toward the free French. Morocco was a French Colony then. The Sultan could not do much More than watch act As designated Host and plan to fight for the Independent country he wanted to hand Over to his son a who was 12 years old and is now King Hassan ii and remembers. But British prime minister Winston Churchill puffing his Cigar sat in the Villa Garden As Roosevelt spoke at a closing press conference to reporters who did not know Why they had been . Rosenthal i brought to Casablanca. The two leaders had met in secret for about three weeks working out plans for the conduct of the War against Germany Japan and Italy. Churchill according to the historian Arthur Schlesinger jr., had already in formed his War Cabinet about unconditional surrender and had its approval in his files. Western historians Are meeting in Casablanca to dissect the Casablanca conference one of the Pivotal Points of the War. The meeting is sponsored by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute the for Library at Hyde Park n.y., and the moroccan government. The timing is perfect. European journalists and academics arc giving huge dollops of attention to a Book about Churchill by the historian John Charm Ley. He contends that Churchill had become subservient to Roosevelt and that Britain should have made a Deal with Germany to end the War Early. Allah Clark a former British conservative defense minister is exuberant about the value of the Book. Presumably most europeans and americans will find the idea of a nazi dominated Europe not to their tastes and will Bury it in contempt. But indirectly at least it Points out once More the overriding importance of Dofi Ning War goals. A a without Quot unconditional surrender As the War the deat makers would have been at work during the War As they were at Munich a and As powerful. Swastikas would be flying in every Continental capital. Clinton will have to Deal with iraqi president Saddam Hussein because president Bush never made his goals dear. He not Only did not Call for unconditional surrender but did not insist on a surrender at All. He gave the world to understand that he wanted Saddam out but he was not willing to make his ouster a condition for peace. In Bosnia the moral duty of the West is to save muslims from Slaughter and rape perhaps by opening a corridor for food and Medicine and creating safety zones. But trying to restore the Rule of muslims to every bosnian District they once controlled would mean full scale Mountain War against a passionate enemy. One Way or another americans should know Clinton a War goals so that they can decide if they want logo along. All that seems obvious a yes of course we must have understandable War goals. But in one War after another a Korea Vietnam Panama a . Presidents did not provide them. Democratic countries asked to go to War have the right to know the conditions for ending the War. Democratic leaders have the obligation to state them. Those arc the lessons of Casablanca As important today As 50 Januarius ago. C a. The opinions air Staatd in the column and cartoon on thl Paar represent Thoa of the Euth Ore and a in no Way to do Conald Rod a representing i he views of the Star and strip or Tho unload states in defense costs Are a pipe dream if you want a depressing prediction of of 1993 that you can take to the Bank it is that it will be the year in which the peace dividend effectively evaporates. Consider that 1991 was the year in which the cold War was definitively written into history and that 1992 was the year in which events in places like Bosnia and Herzegovina and Somalia a following what people thought would be a Quick Little mop up to Settle things in the persian Gulf a demonstrated the multiplying perils of the Post cold War Era. Those of us who have been frustrated by the slow Pace at which defense expenditures have declined since it became Clear that the soviet Union had disintegrated first de Facto and then de Jure Are Likely to be in for a Long period of disappoint ment. Anu it wont just be sen. Sam Nunn d-ga., going on like he always does about the need to keep producing unspeakably costly weapons systems we All thought had the sole purpose of keeping the red army out of Peoria. It wont Only be members of Congress successfully fighting Foi continued production of nuclear submarines with no earthly purpose but to preserve jobs in their districts. Well also have those who argue that it would be wasteful to allow All the Reagan administration s immense investments in defense technology and new weapons systems in such pipe dreams As Quot Star wars to simply go Down the Drain without Ever bringing them into production. All these factors combined with the influence of the defense industries and their position As major generators of employment have already pro Robert Reno video an effective Brake on the rate of cutbacks in defense spending. Now the peace dividend is under threat from theorists who argue that All you have to do is multiply Bosnia Somalia and Iraq by three or four Over any five year period. They can give you All the possibilities beginning with Iran which is already importing huge chunks of the former soviet Arsenal and running Down to Haiti where a Large portion of the suffering population is threatening to take president elect Clinton up on his Campaign invitation to come on Over instantly you have a on paper at least a new defense and peace keeping requirements for the 1990s and beyond that could soak up a Large part of the defense savings necessary for Clinton to meet his deficit reduction targets. That a not All. A year ago people were debating How much Aid we should give the former soviet republics. Now it is More clearly a question of How much we will have to give them to keep their remaining nuclear missiles out of the hands of madmen and to prevent them from throwing their arms surpluses on the world Market at distress prices with destabilizing results in All the worlds Nastiest Flash Points. And we can forget about sending the Bill for All this to Germany and Japan. Germany it is now Clear will be for some time preoccupied with paying the economic costs of reunification and of controlling its Domestic maniacs. Japan is in a persistent growth recession that threatens its position As the Money pot of the g-7.it would be Nice to be wrong about All this. But this would require us to imagine that any human invention As Long inert and a to so Many a profitable As the cold War could be wound Down neatly and speedily. Cd newday a
