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The original purpose of NATO was as a deterrent to Soviet, and later, Warsaw Pact nations' activities. The Soviet Union no longer exists and the Warsaw Pact has been dissolved. The question, therefore, is: what is NATO supposed to be protecting us from? NATO has committed its forces to the conflict in Kosovo, but to what end? Yugoslavia is not a communist country. Its forces are (arguably) not attacking anyone outside its borders, and the conflict is a matter of internal politics. NATO is a Cold War dinosaur, and its existence in modern society is hard to justify. It has essentially become a league of bully-boys for the United States. The U.S. is forcing its views and sense of morality on the world and there is no longer anyone to question its decisions with any force. The U.S. has become the police force of the world and there is no department of internal affairs. This is not to say the problems in Yugoslavia don't need to be addressed in some manner. They most certainly and urgently do. The problem is that someone, an American (the senior most general for NATO is American), decided that the solution to the problem was to drop bombs on it until it went away. This is the best solution available? Where is the humanitarian aid? Where are the peacekeeping forces? Where are the negotiators? At least the Russians attempted a diplomatic solution to the problem. In short, where is the United Nations? Is this bombing, which creates civilian carnage being condoned? It has just been discovered that NATO warplanes accidentally bombed a column of civilian refugees. NATO has stated that though the incident is unfortunate, it will not deter its efforts. Why would it? These are just the civilian casualties the public has found out about. There are almost certainly at least 10 dead civilians for every one that the media hears about. NATO needs to withdraw its forces before ground troops are landed. Kosovo has the distinct possibility of being a repeat of Vietnam. It has been stated that NATO expects to lose a minimum of 1,500 troops if it engages in a land war. This strikes me as an unbelievably low figure. The Kosovo conflict is based on religion, race, and historical significance. The Serbs will fight until the last man. It is a huge endeavour to stop an enemy with this kind of attitude. The UN had best make its presence known, and quickly, before the situation escalates to the point of no return.
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