"Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon
as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions…. If he flew
them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had
to…."
–Joseph Heller, Catch-22
As the NATO rampage continues in Yugoslavia, Western military and political leaders seem
to be drifting slowly away from what can be fully explained by institutional analysis.
While it’s relatively clear why NATO got itself into the current mess, inflating the
crisis exponentially to establish a new post-Cold War role for the "alliance"
(TM, LucasArts), the logic employed by NATO strategists in their day-to-day rhetoric and
actions grows increasingly murky.
All told, many hundreds of civilians of all regional ethnicities have been killed in
the nightly raids. Meanwhile, I have counted more than 40 mornings in nine weeks when NATO
officials or affiliates have announced or "called for" an "increase"
in the quantity and strength of the aerial attacks — even and especially right after
accidental catastrophes like refugee bombardments and the Chinese Embassy missile mishap.
These demonstrations of Western resolve are used to counter what should be shameful
humiliation over vicious blunders.
The latest example of such arrogance was the "accidental" bombing of a KLA
barracks, immediately followed by an announcement of intensification. Of course, referring
to collateral damage as accidental is like telling Gramma you "mistakenly"
dropped her favourite vase while tossing it about.
NATO’s latest attempt at half-assed diplomacy has been to invoke the ultimate Catch-22.
They told Milosevic, if he wants "peace," he must extract his troops from
Kosovo. But he must do so visibly. However, NATO has admitted that all Serbian forces
spotted moving in any direction will be attacked from above with extreme prejudice.
"That’s some catch, that Catch-22," a reporter reportedly commented.
"It’s the best there is," replied a Pentagon official speaking on conditions of
anonymity.
Still hoping to bomb into submission the same population which defeated eight divisions
of Third Reich infantry during World War II, NATO’s pipe dreams are regurgitated in the
corporate media, the latter by now almost fanatical in its willingness to sugar-coat even
the most absurd among the military’s stances, in ostensible support of forces to which
reporters regularly refer as "our troops."
A few days after Germany announced, in one of the most refreshing turns of events in
more than two months of unchecked aggression, that it would definitely not allow NATO to
stage a ground invasion of Kosovo, the BBC web site ran a headline "Allies United on
Kosovo Troops." The headline was misleading, to say the least. In reality, the UK and
US, at least according to their respective foreign ministers Cook and Alrbight, are
gung-ho to invade, even under "non-permissive" conditions. (You may recall such
"non-permissive" environments as Japan and Vietnam). In reality, NATO is a
schitzophrenic headcase over the issue of a ground war, not least as a result of popular
pressure in Italy, Greece and now Germany, where the divided Green Party finally took a
stance in favor of de-escalation.
In an almost unique display of momentary bias against NATO practice, CNN reported last
week on a UN Security Council document claiming Western forces have dropped more than
15,000 cluster "bomblets" (4 out of 5 kids agree they’re cuter than their name!)
on Yugoslav soil. This saturation has resulted so far in the deaths of over 200 people and
wounded 450 more in Kosova/Metohija alone, leaving countless more bomblets waiting to
explode.
CNN itself referred to the employment of cluster bombs, in addition to depleted uranium
ammunition, as the "use of banned weaponry." According to my own research, DU
and cluster bombs, like landmines and a few distasteful chemical weapons, have been banned
only by treaties which the US has refused to sign, and is thus not beholden to. Why ban
weapons that no one is likely to use against you?
As usual, on Capitol Hill the bullshit pile is challenging the Washington Monument in
stature. Some House Democrats recently noted that the American people, of whom they are
really quite fond, don’t seem to grasp the notion that Milosevic is a fledgling Hitler and
the lives of American boys should be expended in the prevention of another Third Reich.
Thus, in unusual deference to unreasonable popular will, Washington can’t send in ground
troops.
A quick quiz:
As of today, Congress has officially:
(a) expressed its overwhelming support for "our troops" in Yugoslavia
(b) condemned US participation in the war
(c) given President Clinton twice the requested amount of funding
(d) failed to declare war
(e) failed to invoke the provisions of the War Powers Act which force a president
to seek congressional approval of foreign military actions and permits Congress to
stop an undeclared war
(f) begun moving to ban the use of Pentagon funds, some recently awarded for the
Kosovo operation, from being used — you guessed it — in the Kosovo operation
(Answer: all of the above.)
On day 60 of Operation Feel Good, the Washington Post ran an extensive story on the
various opinions of legislators with regard to the Kosovo war, referring to the further
"erosion" of "resolve" in support of the President’s policy. (At least
NATO has managed to "degrade" something, albeit nonmilitary, other than quality
of life in the Balkans.) What the Post forgot to mention was one word about the War Powers
Act, which places restrictions on the a President’s prerogative to wage war in foreign
lands, especially after exactly 60 days. If the president has not obtained Congressional
approval, in the form of a declared war, in two months’ time, continuation of said war is
against federal law. Evidently, such aren’t legitimate grounds for impeachment, as no one
inside he beltway — least of all the media — is making a peep about the War Powers Act.
As resistance builds around the world, organizers and movement strategists are
wondering just how to reason with these types of elites. The answer remains, as ever, hit
’em where it hurts… assuming their institutional anatomy has not drifted as far from
reality as they themselves seem to have.
=================
Brian Dominick is a member of On the Ground, a direct action collective of youth
activists in Syracuse, NY. OtG is currently producing an international newspaper and
"activist kit" re the war in Yugoslavia. For more info, visit http://kosovo.rootmedia.org/otg or write