-Caveat Lector- From www.phillynews.com/inquirer/99/Jul/11/opinion/RUBIN11.htm > Trudy Rubin / Worldview > > > Much of world sees Kosovo war as a show of raw American power > > > TETOVO, MACEDONIA - Americans were told the war in Kosovo was a > humanitarian struggle to prevent the murder and expulsion of > ethnic Albanians from Kosovo. > > But ask the leading ethnic Albanian politician in neighboring > Macedonia, where hundreds of thousands of Kosovar refugees took > shelter, and he sees things very differently. Arben Jaffari, ally > of Kosovo leaders and spokesman for the large number of ethnic > Albanians in Macedonia, believes the war was about power, pure > and simple. "It proves there is a new relationship between global > forces and that NATO is on top," he tells me. > > "The war tested weapons, it tested political loyalties, it showed > that the Russians have nothing to offer," he says with relish, > sitting in his political office in this all-Albanian town. > Jafferi is busy writing an article entitled "The Kosovo war: > leading the world towards a new century." > > Welcome to the real world. We think we bombed to save Albanians' > lives, but they think we bombed to show who really runs the > world. And they are not the only ones. > > Much of the world is busy trying to assess the meaning of NATO's > bombing campaign to the 21th century world. They care little for > the irony that NATO bumbled into the war, believing that > Yugoslavia would give in within days. They see the war as a > victory for raw American power. After all, three-quarters of the > missions were flown by Americans. > > Only European leaders endorse the argument that NATO intervention > was humanitarian. Other parts of the world are more likely to > assume some deeper geopolitical motive. The Chinese think we > bombed their embassy to show who was boss. > > Russian resentment of a perceived NATO dictate is plain in > Pristina. Commanders of the 700 Russian troops who dashed to take > the airport ahead of NATO have sulked to themselves, refusing to > send a liaison to the media center in downtown Pristina run by > KFOR (the predominantly NATO force in Kosovo). > > Russian generals in Moscow are said to believe that NATO is > redefining Europe's power balance, outflanking Russia to the > south by basing 50,000 troops in the Balkans and contemplating > the accession of several new Balkan members to NATO. So it will > be instructive to see how the 3,600 Russians scheduled to deploy > in Kosovo relate to U.S., French, and German commanders within > whose sectors they will be based. > > Two thousand Russians will soon arrive inside the American > sector. Will they play by NATO's rules? Gen. John Craddock, U.S. > commander within Kosovo, says he believes the terms governing the > Russian presence are clear: "I'll tell them what they can and > cannot do. I have tactical control." > > But will Russians commanders on the ground obey Craddock or > follow their own interests? Already, Russian commanders say they > won't arrest suspected Serbian war criminals in Kosovo. > NATO-Russian military relationships in Kosovo will reveal whether > Moscow still wants to cooperate with the western alliance. > > The Europeans, too, have had strong reactions to the U.S.-led > bombing campaign. Dismayed at the technology gap between European > and U.S. forces, they are determined to prove that their > militaries of are ready for prime time. > > The British have taken the lead, led by the tough Gen. Mike > Jackson, who is the commander of KFOR. They have the biggest > force, at 13,000, and play tough. They are happy to run the show > if U.S. politics dictate that U.S. forces should take a backseat, > running the quietest of the five Kosovar zones, in the southeast. > > But pacifying Kosovo, after the war's end, doesn't prove European > troops can match the Americans. That will take bigger defense > budgets, which European publics don't support. Moroever, the > Europeans have taken on other huge challenges in Kosovo, in an > effort to demonstrate political strength. > > Along with the United Nations, they've pledged to set up civilian > government in Kosovo, and to reconstruct Balkan economies. In > effect, they have pledged to do for the Balkans what the United > States did for them with the post-World War II Marshall Plan. > > This is a tall order. It's not clear that European governments > have the will or the wallet. If they don't, it may dash British > and French hopes that the European Union can become more of a > political and military force. So consider Kosovo a power testing > ground, where challengers jockey to narrow the U.S. lead. > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- Trudy Rubin's column appears on Wednesdays and Fridays. > Her e-mail address is [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > <Picture> > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- Inquirer | Search | Classifieds | Yellow Pages | > Money| Technology| HOME team | Health | Philly Life | Headbone > Zone | Video | Site Index > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- ©1999 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. 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