Can the Yugo's be saved! Picayunes by Gary Raymond Compuserve 70613,3165 Copy(c)right, 1993, New Orleans ----------------------------------------------------------------- Wow, what a mess! Essentially, what appears to be happening here, is that you have several Bosnian cultures, the Serbs and the Muslims, at each others throats (along with some Croats.) The present fighting seemed to ignite after the the communist control of Yugoslavia disintegrated with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Supposedly, the root cause, is a long historic hatred that pre-existed and was previously kept in check by the hard line communist authorities. I guess it would be an over simplification to say the differences that exist are purely religious in nature. As I see it, "ethnic cleansing", (their solution) has a lot in common with previously touted, crazy or insane solutions suggested by similar groups at odds with each other in other parts of the world. A radical group of blacks in the United Stated once insisted "mass rape" as the only possible means of truly assimilating blacks into the main stream of american culture. Today, in Israel, the Jews see isolation as the only solution to peace with their arab cousins. Similarly, Apartheid in South Africa once imposed stringent cultural separation of blacks and caucasians. Because of the historical insights gained through the experiences of World War Two, there is a growing consensus of people supporting a parallel viewpoint, comparing the atrocities of the holocaust set in motion by the Nazi's, and what is presently going on in Bosnia between the Serbs and Muslims. Essentially, the overseers of our national morals feel the United States cannot allow itself to ignore (any longer) the outcry of human suffering occurring as a result of "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia. Some of these people are very politically influenzal such as Jeannie Kirkpatrick, the former Ambassador to the United Nations. What makes this a really sticky mess is trying to define the good guys from the bad guys. The present evidence is rather murky. There are arguments that seem to support both sides as the good guys or either side as good and bad. In the case of Saddam, we had the clear cut invasion into Kuwait of his military as a positive indicator of who the aggressor was. It is not quite as clear in Yugoslavia. Even at this minute, both sides are continuing to violate various UN truce agreements. Verified reports of atrocities perpetrated by each side have now been documented. If the United States intervenes in the Bosnian civil war (assuming NATO approval) the questions of how, where, what and when, all still seem to be in hot debate with little or no consensus. Some of our best military minds believe air strikes with no ensuing ground support would be useless as the blood feud turns to revenge against trapped and pocketed NATO troops. If the NATO troops are brought out first, this will be a sure signal to the Bosnian to move to plan b, whatever that may be. I suppose it could be argued that the US has no business playing policeman to the worlds trouble spots. I suppose that one could argue that the level of our involvement should only be in direct proportion to our international risks should the civil war continue. That is, the dragging of some of our other NATO muslim allies into the conflict. The notion of "stability" in the region being of foremost concern. It is my opinion that trying to tie the holocaust in Germany to the Bosnian conflict is somewhat like trying to compare a fight between a criminal and your child with a fight between two of your own children. Similarities, maybe, but essentially different. The Nazi atrocities were part of a national, political and military plan contrived by one country and executed against others. Although the pain and suffering may be the same, the remedies are not equivalent. Imagine if during the U.S. civil war, England, France or Spain had decided to help one side or the other for similar high moral reasons. History demonstrates that these countries remained basically neutral. So, is there a solution? No one will argue harder for the value of human life than I. No sane person can ignore human suffering. No reasonable person will oppose helping the oppressed. However, practicality does set limits on the choices we have in trying to to do good. Nowhere throughout history has sacrifice been limited to the physical body. Frequently, "tough love" has been demonstrated to be the most effective means of dealing with immature unruly children. For most parents, the sacrifice is totally mental, as they forfeit their peace of mind, anguishing over the self imposed isolation of their offspring. Although still controversial, the solution usually works. My reasoning dictates a similar solution of "total isolation". Cut the Bosnian people off completely from the rest of the world. Total isolation should go way beyond simple embargoes. Cut the phone lines, blockade the borders, eliminate any and all trade and quit any and all assistance. Then, accept the mental anguish, and wait for them to grow up. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Down south, a Picayune is generally known as either a small amount of something of value and or a very picky point of view. The noun was once used as the proper name for a large, now defunct, southern newspaper. The word (in New Orleans) is generally tied to the view of the world as seen through the eyes of the little (average) man on the street. This Picayune (article and or file) may be copied and or re-distributed without compensation to the author as long as no profits are generated through its re-distribution or sale and it is used in its entirety. All opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. If you disagree with any of the opinions expressed in this or any other Picayunes, you are invited to reply via e-mail on Compuserve Userid 70613,3165. -[30]-