European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 16, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday february 16,1994 commentary the stars and stripes Page 15it s up to Clinton to bring peace to Balkans the responsibility is president Clinton a. It is his Job now to prevent the nato ultimatum to the serbs from becoming the excuse for inflicting More suffering and spreading the War beyond Bosnia. If he does not live up to the Job the combined Power of the West its standards of political and religious conduct and All its pronouncements about humanitarianism will have added up to nothing but a recipe for More tragedy. A a a a a a. How did it come to this Point this ugly chapter in what is amusingly called Western civilization Detroit Trefe Prate . Rosenthal two tragedies Are taking place the sorrow of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the continuing failure of the West to examine its own role maybe learn a Little something from it. In 1991, the United states and its european allies were warned at least four times that their plans for Swift recognition of Croatia would blow up neighbouring Bosnia a both parts of the disintegrating Yugoslavia. Bosnia a population was serbian and croatian about half Christian half Muslim converted to islam centuries ago. Serbian and croatian christians did not want to live under the other group or the muslims. The muslims wanted a United state in which Power was shared. But most serbian and croatian christians in Bosnia feared the state would be controlled by muslims. Cyrus r. Vance of the United states gave the warning so did lord Carrington of Britain and Secretary general Javier Perez de Cuellar a and most important Alija ize Begovic the Muslim president of Bosnia. They warned that if Croatia were swiftly recognized Bosnia a muslims would Bolt to Independence and croats and serbs would fight both happened. Up to then a just one More Balkan mess no particular heroes or villains. The serbs a and croats too a changed ail that by atrocities against Muslim civilians including ethnic evictions. Partition was a Way out but the muslims and their supporters did not seeds . The Vietnam War a conflict Replete with ironies and contradictions is ending on the most ironic note of All. On feb. 3, president Clinton lifted use Trade embargo imposed 19 years ago when in flagrant violation of the Paris a a peace accords it had signed two years earlier the North vietnamese army a Multi division Cross order Blitzkrieg crushed South Vietnam under the weight of its tanks and heavy artillery. Until now the ultimate irony was the Way the fighting came to an end. When the North vietnamese army entered Saigon in april 1975, former Cia director William e. Colby noted a an Abc television Crew caught one of the More significant pictures of the event. It filmed a huge North vietnamese tank with its monstrous Cannon As it Rojee open the main Gate to the presidential Palace. The Peoples War was Over not by the work of a Barefoot guerrilla but by the most conventional of military forces a even More ironic however is the fact that 30 years after the Gulf of Tonkin incident that began . Military involvement the anti War movements charge that the Root cause of the. War could be explained by Vladimir i. Lenin a 1916 diatribe imperialism the highest stage of capitalism has finally., been transformed into reality by one of those who mouthed that simple minded slogan. What made it so simple minded is that before the Vietnam War . Trade with All of Indochina combined amounted to less than one half of 1 percent of All . Foreign Trade. The notion that such a minuscule want it. They Felt partition would leave the muslims a min nation hostage to Serbia and Croatia. But even As the War grew More hideous and Sarajevo was under siege one decent Chance to preserve a unified Bosnia was presented. It was worked out by Vance and lord Owen of Britain separate Muslim serbian and croatian areas in Bosnia brought together under a unified government a Balkan Switzerland sort they were reviled As appeasers by the . Media. But Many muslims saw the plan As the Only Chance to keep the dream of a unified Bosnia. It should have been called the save Bosnia plan but neither Vance nor Owen was Ever much Good at sound bites. The Clinton administration said a it said this it said that it said them both at the same time. If the american Public Ever understood for one Day serbian toy Jet what the Clinton position on Bosnia was believe me it was an Accident because the administration did not know itself. Vance Owen save. Bosnia died hounded into oblivion by the instant Hawks double crossed by the bosnian serbs mumbled and gummed to death by Washington. A so the West is left Only with partition the solution that muslims never wanted and that could have been had without As Long and Nasty a War. What happens now if the bosnian serbs Are stupid enough or desperate enough to resume fighting they will come under nato air attack. They can be pushed to desperation if the bosnian muslims use the ultimatum As Protection for a military offensive against them. Already the Laptop Bombardier insist the ultimatum must be enforced by bombing deep into Bosnia and Serbia it self. Rut it will be Clinton who will have to take the responsibility if the bombing of Serbia drags in Greece Turkey and Albania. And russian sympathy for Serbia goes far beyond the hard nationalists. Moscow already has asked for a . Meeting Over . Objections. Russian president Boris n. Yeltsin might have to Swallow the ultimatum the bombing of Serbia could Swallow Yeltsin. All that does not have to happen. Clinton will have to his credit the lifting of the serbian siege against the muslims. He can use it to pressure All sides into accepting a Compromise partition a a yes pressure not go on repeating idiotically that americans have no say in decisions that now affect their lives. Lifting a murderous siege was always a decent goal a but not expanding the War. C Tho new Yehh times in now Trade balance would propel the United states into War was preposterous. Indeed the capitalistic business executives move for Vietnam peace be with some 1,600 members was part of the anti War protest movement. But if it Wasny to imperialism then it certainly smacks of imperialism now. The giants of american capitalism Mobil Oil United airlines american express Caterpillar coca cola Citibank general electric to name but a few a have been lobbying for years now to have the embargo lifted. While Clinton disingenuously claimed that economics played no part in his decision the truth was evident. A there is a tremendous amount of euphoria about the prospects there a said Frank Martin president of the american chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. A Lenin would have understood full Well. What he would not have understood was that capitalist imperialism would be welcomed with open arms by Vietnam As an attractive alternative to state socialism a but then again he might have. Communist stale controlled economic models plunged Vietnam into economic despair. On the verge of ruin by 1989, Vietnam began a massive Reform of its Economy taking what Harry g. Summers had been earlier condemned As a the capitalist but while marxist Leninist economic models proved bankrupt Lenin May Well have prophesied where that Road would eventually Lead. Quot political institutions Quot he wrote in 1913, a Are a superstructure resting on an economic As Vietnam shifts its economic foundation from state socialism to a free Market Economy a shift surely intensified by the lifting of the . Embargo its aging communist political superstructure becomes More and More out of touch. Sooner or later Vietnam a political leadership will have to change to conform to its new free Market economic foundations. The final irony is that the United states May succeed even yet in bringing democracy to Vietnam. That movement is Well under Way spurred not so much by american economic imperialism Buffy the far More powerful Force of cultural imperialism. Without even meaning to do so americans planted Fertile cultural seeds in Vietnam marked by such symbols As Rock music Blue jeans and to shirts american culture with its Promise of personal Freedom is now firmly rooted there. American culture As a French philosopher one remarked conquers the world moving on wheels lubricated by coca cola. Sure enough in to coverage from a who Chi Minh City its name now inevitably to go the Way of a a Lenin Grade was an american cola truck passing out free samples to Toast the new a a imperialistic Era. C los Angelos times
