Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 07:11:08 +0000
From: Paul Swann pswann@easynet.co.uk

Several people have expressed appreciation for the articles re: Kosovo that I've circulated recently. Diana Johnstone's article "Seeing Yugoslavia through a Dark Glass", written last August, has been particularly well received.

She's now written another important article called "Notes on the Kosovo Problem and the International Community", which I highly recommend. It's on the www at: http://kosovo.serbhost.org/diana_johnstone.html

I've listed several other articles below that I've found to be of particular interest, and have included the urls where available. I will be happy to send email versions of all or any of these on request.

Some of the articles discuss the causes of the conflict, some describe the consequences, and one addresses the dilemna of mounting an effective campaign against the Nato bombing. You may have seen some of them already. Hopefully you will find something that helps to make sense of this tragedy and which might be useful in any campaigning that you do.

Two websites that I can recommend are:

Stratfor Kosovo Crisis Center http://www.stratfor.com/kosovo/crisis/

ZNet Kosovo page http://www.zmag.org/ZMag/kosovo.htm

I appreciate that many people are already overwhelmed with the situation, and please let me know if you'd rather not receive further postings.

Of all the articles I've read in the past few weeks, one stands out for me as a source of inspiration and direction - Coki Treespirit's Comment in 'The Progressive Response' on "Foreign Policy & Voice of Ancestors", which I've copied below. It doesn't discuss Kosovo directly but says much in a quiet way about where humanity is going wrong.

Regards, and peace to all,

Paul

~ KOSOVO: SELECTED ARTICLES ~ (email copies available on request)

Notes on the Kosovo Problem and the International Community by Diana Johnstone http://kosovo.serbhost.org/diana_johnstone.html

Seeing Yugoslavia through a Dark Glass: Politics, Media and the Ideology of Globalization by Diana Johnstone http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/grattan_healy/johnston.htm

Dismantling Former Yugoslavia, Recolonising Bosnia by Michel Chossudovsky http://groundwork.ucsd.edu/bosnia.html

The Current Bombings: Behind the Rhetoric by Noam Chomsky http://www.zmag.org/current_bombings.htm

Kosovo Crisis Points to Global Realignment Stratfor analysis - 29 March 1999 http://www.stratfor.com/crisis/kosovo/special8.htm

Kosovo Freedom Fighters Financed by Organized Crime by Michel Chossudovsky http://www.transnational.org/features/crimefinansed.html

Impacts of Nato's "Humanitarian" Bombings, The Balance Sheet of Destruction in Yugoslavia by Michel Chossudovsky http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/10788

How Nato Destroyed the Work of Yugoslav NGOs Hidden Heroes: Diary of an NGO activist by Jenny Hyatt and Miljenko Dereta http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/The_Paper/Weekly/Story/ 0,3605,42137,00.html

The Information War about Kosovo Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research http://www.transnational.org/pressinf/pf62.html

What Nato tried to impose on Serbia - Rambouillet: Appendix B http://www.balkanaction.org/pubs/kia299.html

It's bad now, but what if the KLA were in control? by Anthony Daniels http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001579700054533&rtmo=auK55W6J&atmo=99999999&pg=/et/99/4/18/wdan18.html

Kosovo: 'The war is about the mines' by Sara Flounders

Kosovo, War Hysteria, and the Liberal Fallacy by Richard K. Moore

Kosovo Questions and Answers The Progressive Response

What the "NATO war" in Europe is really all about by Professor Tanya Reinhart

This atrocity is still a mystery to Nato. Perhaps I can help... by Robert Fisk http://www.independent.co.uk/stories/B1704904.html

Poison cloud engulfs Belgrade Times/Serbian Ecological Society http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/tim/99/04/19/timfgnkos02002.html?2146249 & http://news.flora.org/flora.mai-not/10989

Ecological Catastrophe - NATO Bombings An annotated list of articles by Janet Easton, e.g. Environment of Europe at Risk from NATO Bombing, Environment News Service (ENS) http://ens.lycos.com/ens/apr99/1999L-04-07-04.html

A Letter about some of the Complexities of Opposition - Being able to say neither/nor by Cynthia Cockburn http://www.zmag.org/complex.htm

The Fatal Flaws Underlying Nato's Intervention in Yugoslavia by Lt Gen Satish Nambiar (Retd.) (First Force Commander and Head of Mission of the United Nations Forces deployed in the former Yugoslavia 1992-93)

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The Progressive Response 14 April 1999 Vol. 3, No. 13
Editor: Tom Barry irc_tom@zianet.com

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II. Comments

*** FOREIGN POLICY AND VOICE OF ANCESTORS ***

The United States, by its role as the super power of the world affects even the smallest village in an obscure country. It has the power to affect the way humans treat one another and the world around them. This power in the past and present has been used for material gains and personal power. This type of structure can no longer continue in the global nature of foreign policy today. The intertwining of economies necessitates a new way of looking at Earth as a whole, where an action in one part deeply affects those who may be far removed from those actions.

We, as indigenous people, look at humanity as caretakers, not owners, of our environments. The original instructions of our environment and its processes have been tempered and altered, to its detriment.

The global economic structure omits personal responsibility for the effects of corporate or national actions on people and the environment. In the multinational corporate structure, CEOs blame stockholders, or managers or anyone they can for their actions that cause wholesale destruction of indigenous cultures and communities and the environment. This is also true on a political level. It is sad to say that our political structure is more influenced by a few multinational firms based on greed and power, than a true resolution of the problems facing our planet. We look for the short term gain rather than the long term vision.

What is the answer? In regard to U.S. foreign policy anywhere in the world, we must first consider and focus with honor and respect on the sacred process of the environment and its relation with the indigenous peoples who have learned how to survive and adapt in that environment and its sacred processes.

We must bear in mind the results of our actions -- common sense, not focus groups, studies or impact states that waste time, money and resources. If you remove an element from an environment, such as the removal of vast amounts of water from the Great Lakes to sell overseas, is this a wise use of resources? It may be that this removal affects lives in Mexico and the Gulf States. As native American tradition states, we must see our actions in terms of their effects on the seventh generation in the future. We the few and Indigenous in nature believe in offering our energies for the healing of our sacred and living planet and humanity. The future is now, we must think in hundreds of thousands of years and put aside that "what's in it for me" attitude and turn it around and say how may we help, and participate in the healing process; Bring back the focus on original instruction of our environment and its people.

The voice of our Ancestors.

Coki Treespirit STaino@aol.co

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