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Missile Defense

Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI all over again?

eurocore - 03:59pm Mar 31, 2001 EST (#1845 of 1864)

As far as I understand, the war was escalation of interethnic tension as perceived (and probably very real) oppression of Albanian desires for greater autonomy were prevented by a very centralised Serbian nation.

Balkan ethnic tension have a history of being particularly bitter for a long time (major cause of WWI). The KLA's formation two years ago lead to the escalation of political opposition to physical conflict between Albanians and Serb police (and later military) units.

The international community, (if there is such a thing), saw it as a purely internal problem, until, at some terrible stage, there seemed to be change in Serbian police tactics.

Rather than pure gunfighting between armed groups of KLA and Serbian forces of law and order, complete villages of Albanians started 'disappearing' - all the male youths were suspected of KLA loyalty and the allegeations emerged that the Serbian police were simply 'eliminating' potential opposition, without the youths bearing arms or acting illegally. Albanian women suspected of helping KLA alleged that Serbian police forces engaged in torture and rape in attempting to extract confessions and information on KLA activity.

Evidence of large mass graves started drifting through to the western media and eventually European leaders started to question the situation and demand Serbia respect human rights. As evidence continued to emerge of these effective but completely unethical police tactics, the EU placed a trade embargo on Serbia and NATO threated possible action. Two weeks later (with no sign of Serbia allowing in international observers), the alleged atrocities were thought to be still going on.

It was only then that NATO bombed the initial targets (airfields and radar) and demanded Serbia stop.

Evidence after that emerged that the Serbian army had suddenly started removing people from their homes wholesale in Kosovo and torching the buildings - Milosovic apparently 'getting back at NATO' via attacking the Albanians. A steady stream of refugees entered Albania.

Three days later, after a refusal to alter policy (or admit observers), NATO resumed strikes til the Serbian government conceeded, several weeks later.

lunarchick - 04:04pm Mar 31, 2001 EST (#1846 of 1864)
lunarchick@www.com

:) ... in a 'nut-shell'

eurocore - 04:04pm Mar 31, 2001 EST (#1847 of 1864)

You might find this interesting:

http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3WB2MHYKC&live=true&tagid=IXLB0PYY8CC

(Milosevic's possible arrest)

rshowalter - 04:05pm Mar 31, 2001 EST (#1848 of 1864)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

I recall seeing references, that seemed solid, that the Serbian killings had been overestimated by CNN by something like a factor of 20 -- a pretty gross disparity, and there are other questions, too. If the disparity was anything like that large, we have reason to question some stories.

eurocore - 04:33pm Mar 31, 2001 EST (#1849 of 1864)

I try to use the word allegation where appropriate, but I don't think the allegations I heard were that exaggerated. They showned photographs of underground Serbian police chambers (after liberation this is) including instruments used to inflict pain on KLA suspects and collaborators, complete with sets of restraints.

Of course NATO could have set up these chambers themselves to make the Serbs look like criminals, but I doubt it's probable.

rshowalter - 04:38pm Mar 31, 2001 EST (#1850 of 1864)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

I wasn't questioning criminality on the part of the Serbians -- the article I saw -- and haven't put my hands on - questioned numbers.

I've got something else I have to do for the rest of the day --

lunarchick - 05:27pm Mar 31, 2001 EST (#1851 of 1864)
lunarchick@www.com

Americans complaining re KYOTO

~ http://www.senate.gov/
~ http://www.house.gov/

lunarchick - 07:04pm Mar 31, 2001 EST (#1852 of 1864)
lunarchick@www.com

For Alex (can't attribute - but nice ..)

" .... I once heard English described as a language that chases other languages down dark alleys, whacks them on their head and then steals linguistic goodies from their pockets... "

lunarchick - 07:59pm Mar 31, 2001 EST (#1853 of 1864)
lunarchick@www.com

Intersting thread title http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?14@@.ee80eb4/22

lunarchick - 08:31pm Mar 31, 2001 EST (#1854 of 1864)
lunarchick@www.com

Moscow: MTV: rally for freedom of expression

"MTV is the only channel that tells the truth - all others are under gvt control" says a Russian

Kremlin described as a 'bunch of liars' by a Russian.

Putchin said to be wanting to take over press tv

Gvt said that MTV is in debt

CNN Ted Turner --- wants to assist MTV

------

UK 821 cases of Foot/Mouth 50,000 farms in UK .. one in 60 have F&M

------

Euro leaders FURIOUS with BUSH re KYOTO

Bush on collison with WEurope re emissions.

Bush is 'for dirty jobs' in USA + 'for new technology' // USA gets dirtier by the YEAR ^^^^

fossil fuel consumption the problem

5% of earth's population
20% of dirty air output

EC to put pressure on USA re Kyoto

[Bush didn't show leadership re death penalty ... can he be expected to show leadership here ..

USA must be posing as 'A DEVELOPING COUNTRY'

the KYOTO agreement must have been a 'too hard' document for Bush to cope with

USA says it has a plan --- somewhere!

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