Wood Goblin wrote: When I have a chance tomorrow, I'll find my friend's review of her books.

Save the trouble. You're not going to move my opinion with book reviews. The US exaggerated to make war. That is what I said, the facts bear it out, and you know that, so you try and argue against a statement I never made: that Milosevic is to be admired. Like I said, very clearly: his crimes were exaggerated, and the crimes of the KLA and the Albanians and the Croatians have been underreported.

wood goblin wrote:Milosevic doesn't even meet your definition of tyrant: he wasn't the leader of Serbia before this crisis started; he was the leader of Yugoslavia.

He was the leader of Serbia before he was the leader of Yugoslavia, so yes he was the leader of serbia before the crisis began. I didn't say he was the leader of Serbia as the crisis began.

And the UN high court has just ruled that there was no genocide:

UN clears Serbia of genocide

February 27, 2007

The UN's top court has cleared Serbia of direct involvement in genocide during the Bosnian war, but said Belgrade did breach international law by failing to prevent the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica.

"The court finds that Serbia has not committed genocide," International Court of Justice (ICJ) president Rosalyn Higgins told journalists after today's ruling, the ICJ's first in a genocide case.

milosevic was hugely unpopular within the urban areas. Less hated in rural areas. Before the Kosovo crisis and after. The people, led by the serbian orthodox church almost over through him a year or two before the bombing, but the US intervened to keep him in power.

after kosovo, they did throw him out. The only time he was popular is when the entire nation of serbia underwent 70 days of bombing by NATO for obvious political reasons.

Another thread shot to shit.

Thanks, guys.

sunlore wrote:Another thread shot to shit.

Thanks, guys.

What is your complaint? That an examination of war crimes took place in the thread? That two people argued ( about Kosovo ) in a thread ( about Kosovo )? Ohh sorry... it wasn't super specific to the independence of Kosovo. My head is hanging so low in shame right now, you have no idea.

Ohh sorry... it wasn't super specific to the independence of Kosovo.

you of all people know where the new thread button is bob, why not use it.


sunlore wrote

And anyway, are we not in effect looking at an ethnic "rearrangement" by means of international law here? Would that not set something of a dangerous precedent, even in the case that we wish to grant the international community such (gross) powers?

Its a question of majority/minority rights I suppose. The problem in Kosovo is that the police/KFOR are not yet up to the task of protecting the Serbian community, so Serbs have had to band together in certain areas for protection, often being forced out of their homes. Ideally a Kosovan state would have the resources (and motivation) to protect this minority, but thats not likely to happen until the country's economy gets back on its feet.

Since Kosovo is mostly self-governed as it is, what is it exactly in the granting of judicial sovereignty that could lead to the improvement of the regional economy? How would it effect GDP? &cetera.

I suppose why I think this is a good thing is that a politically settled country is more likely to be able to attract investment, fight crime and protect it's citizens that an agitated autonomous region. By resolving the big issue it frees up the political system to deal with domestic issues and make progress.

ivan wrote:

Ohh sorry... it wasn't super specific to the independence of Kosovo.

you of all people know where the new thread button is bob, why not use it.

Because the point I made did not deserve a new thread. It belonged in this thread. Independence for Kosovo stirs up old angers. Serbia is against it. Russia is against it. The US and Britain are in favor. So my original comment: Serbians have been the victims of exaggerated allegations against them in the recent past- is absolutely appropriate for this thread. If Wood Goblin hadn't tried to lie about what I said and about what US officials said back in '98-'99, it would have been one post from me and done. If Wood Goblin calls what I wrote 'utter shit', I'm sure as hell not going to let that go without answering it.

I hope you and Sunlore get over your menstrual cramps and learn to read again soon.