European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday february 14, 1994 commentary the stars and stripes Pago 13 could ring the nato ultimatum to serbian forces around Sarajevo could be at Long last a first step toward ending the bloodiest aggression in Europe in 50 years. Or it could be an empty gesture by politicians trying Only to escape embarrassment. On the encouraging Side the allies seem to be serious about using airstrikes if the serbian aggressors resume shelling civilians in Sarajevo or fail to move their heavy weapons Back 12 a a Miles by feb. 21. Previous threats by the North Atlantic treaty organization have been jokes a and quickly seen As such by the serbs. It is a plus also that the Clinton administration did not give Way to angry russian protests against the plan. With Luck this could Mark the end of the administrations misbegotten belief that it must yield to whatever Boris n. Yeltsin wants abroad in order to support his position at Home. But the nato decision if examined honestly has to be seen As extremely modest if not indeed feeble. It lacks both military and political elements necessary to make it effective. A the demand on the serbs is limited to Sarajevo. They will be free to press new attacks on the bosnian in other Anthony Lewis parts of the country notably Bihac in the Northwest. A the ultimatum does not even assure an end to the murder of civilians in Sarajevo. It does not purport to affect Light mortars machine guns or the sniper rifles that have had such deadly effect. It exempts from the exclusion zone the town of Pale 10 Miles from Sarajevo the bosnian serbs military Headquarters. And in any event the serbs have artillery with a Range of More than 12 Miles. A nato has not asked for an end to the siege of Sarajevo. Going to or from the City will still require passing through serbian roadblocks. A if the serbs ignore the ultimatum nato threatened Only to attack their heavy weapons. There Are much More important targets for any meaningful air threat the Bridges connecting Serbia to Bosnia Petroleum tanks and military Headquarters like that at Pale. A nato members in particular the United states did not decide to ignore the . Arms embargo on Bosnia. That is a vital Issue of principle not to deny a , member state the Means of self defense when it has been attacked. A by asking that the bosnian in Sarajevo also give up their few heavy weapons the nato ultimatum equated victims and aggressors. It even commended the outrageous idea that Sarajevo be put under . Administration. Have the bosnian stood up against genocidal assaults for the last two years in order to be ruled by Boutros Boutros Ghali and his inept bureaucracy a it Over All what is lacking in the a a a a Bie item but they surely Nave to include Iden eking nato decision is a sense of objectives and strategy. The objectives must be Lim Tif cation and punishment of the aggressor in order to deter other demagogic nationalists who Are waiting to tear Europe apart. The bosnian War is the first test of whether peace and Security can be maintained in Europe in the new tensions of the Post cold War Era. It is a test of natos relevance to that task. The ultimatum to the serbian forces does at least signify that nato sees the Challenge that the bosnian conflict represents. But it is not a at least not yet a a serious response to the dangerous precedent of successful aggression against a recognized state. Can we Hope for a real commitment by the United states and its allies will they act forcefully when the serbian leaders resume their aggression for the serbs did not wait Long to b break the truce they had agreed to As nato formulated its ultimatum. The night after the ultimatum serbian runners around Sarajevo let Loose again. To one but a fool could be surprised considering All the past lies and broken promises. After All Radovan Karadzic the bosnian scrubs Leader promised last oct. 9 a the siege of Sarajevo is  t the Hope is frail the reasons for cynicism substantial. In announcing the nato action president Clinton said the United states a will not stand idly by in the face of a conflict that affects our interests offends our consciences and disrupts the  but he had stood idly by for a year and George Bush before him while 200,000 people were killed and 2 million driven from their Homes. If the North Atlantic Alliance has the will to resist genocidal aggression and the strategy we have not yet seen  Tho now York Timon a Tough problem a in my Field of psychology there a a lot of ambiguity a Arnold p. Goldstein admits. A but after a while there a enough research to say we have a  this he says is a fact television violence begets real world violence Goldstein director of the Center for research on aggression at new Yorkus Syracuse University was in Atlanta As the featured consultant at a two Day conference on school violence. He has made a major sideline of instructing professionals a this time members of the National association of school psychologists a in ways of reducing violence. His books William Raspberry on teaching social skills to antisocial youth a a skill streaming a he Calls it a Are respected across the nation. But he believes his work would be a Good Deal easier if television weren to so doggedly violent. A a there a just no question of the effect of television a he tells me. A literally hundreds of studies All Point to this conclusion. The Only people who seriously question the link a like the tobacco Industry questioning the link Between cigarette smoking and cancer a Are the to people themselves and even Many of them Are coming  Goldstein lists three main categories of effects the aggression effect the victim effect and the bystander effect. The first includes so called copycat violence. A there Are 188 separate studies involving 244,000 viewers showing that a substantial number of viewers will become More aggressive More violent after watching violent to shows. Younger children Are affected More than older ones boys More than girls. In terms of types of show the violently erotic Are the  he said studies show that there is More copying of violent acts when the violence is justified and or rewarded in the script when it involves How to specifics and when it is shown As relatively painless or when vie anew warning system How to Tell when there is trash Vience on television. Tims of violence Are shown quickly recovering from their injuries. The a victim effects principally involves an a increased level of fearfulness about the world in general a according to Goldstein. A what troubles me most though is the bystander effect. You know the Kitty Genovese syndrome. Kitty Genovese was slain on a Street in Queens new York on March 13, 1964, while 37 witnesses did nothing televised violence increases the degree of callousness and indifference to actual violence. People who watch to violence become less helpful toward the victims of violence and display More tolerance for higher and higher Levels of  most of us know a a or have strongly suspected a what Goldsteins Meta analysis of reams of studies demonstrates. Television knows it too. The question is what to do about it. For Goldstein the answer is something Short of official censorship but a something beyond the tips to parents advice a sitting with your children talking about the violence monitoring their viewing that sort of  but he does no to know just what. I done to either. The violence Content Labelling recently adopted by the Industry following a major Public out cry and congressional hearings is a help but principally for at Home parents of Small children. Older children including a Latchkey kids who baby sit themselves until their parents get Home wont bother with the labels a except perhaps As a guide to which Are the really Cool shows. Various Channel blocking devices could be helpful in Locking out say certain Cable channels. But what Parent would take the time to Check each Day s listing and Block out specific objectionable shows assuming it was Clear which shows were objectionable and assuming there were machines capable of such selective blocking ? and who in households where parents cannot tape tonight a jeopardy show without help from the kids would program those machines a wok mom in be got it set so it la Only get pcs and the gospel hour. You and dad have a Nice  the violent influence cited by Goldstein he says there Are on average eight violent acts per prime time hour on television a May be beyond the Means of technology to control. A c tha Washington Post