home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Software Vault: The Gold Collection
/
Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO
/
cdr12
/
yugonazi.zip
/
YUGONAZI.TXT
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-05-01
|
7KB
|
115 lines
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]-