Posted on 09/19/2009 10:33:10 PM PDT by Saije
For 11 days in late August and early September 1995, U.S. and NATO air power defended Bosnian Muslims, who were being attacked by Bosnian Serbs, who were supported by Serbian Serbs. This was merely the overture to something much more ambitious — a grand concert of nation-building that began when the Dayton agreement reached in December of that year calmed the Balkan furies of revanchism and revenge, for a while...
Political scientists Patrice C. McMahon and Jon Western note that Bosnia was “once the poster child for international reconstruction efforts” and was considered “proof that under the right conditions the international community could successfully rebuild conflict-ridden countries.” But now, Bosnia “stands on the brink of collapse.”
From 1996 to 2007, Bosnia received $14 billion in international aid from 17 foreign governments, 18 U.N. agencies, 27 intergovernmental organizations and about 200 nongovernmental organizations, plus the presence of 60,000 troops from 36 countries. It was, McMahon and Western say, “arguably the most extensive and innovative democratization experiment in history.”...
Today, the centrifugal forces of the rival ethnic nationalisms of Bosnia’s Muslims, Croats and Serbs have, McMahon and Western say, stalled reform and the economy — unemployment is 27 percent, 25 percent of Bosnians live in poverty, and the public sector, with a ludicrous 160 ministers, swallows almost half the GDP.
International organizations, suffering Balkan fatigue and eager to declare “mission accomplished,” are withdrawing, leaving Muslims isolated and vulnerable, and, as Bosnia is, McMahon and Western say, “drifting toward chaos.”...
“With factions from all three ethnic groups now challenging the Dayton structure,” McMahon and Western are emphatic: “First, a strong U.S. commitment is necessary.” But this is not a propitious moment to propose that, with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq — and North Korea, etc. — on Washington’s mind.
(Excerpt) Read more at grandforksherald.com ...
Augers poorly? If the NY Slimes editors want to drill holes correctly, they need to get a better auger [and check the dictionary for the spelling of ‘augur’].
George Will is writing for the Grand Forks Herald now? Do they have a baseball diamond?
*didn’t know that Bosnia was this bad off.*
Read the book “Al-Qaida’s Jihad In Europe” The Afghan -
Bosnian Network pub. 2004 by Evan F. Kohlmann
I’m afraid that this one is on the “Grand Forks Herald”. First, they spell “argues” wrong - assuming of course that’s what they were attempting. Second, Will’s 09/20/09 column with this text is titled “Been there, didn’t do that “ every where else it’s published today. And lastly, they attribute original publication to the NY Times, when in fact Will’s column isn’t published there - at all (I don’t believe he’s ever been published there). Perhaps they meant the Washington Post.
See post #2, the reference is to foretelling the future by taking the auguries or reading signs in nature, the flight of birds, etc.
Besides being a baseball enthusiast, George Will is, if not a classicist like Victor Davis Hanson, at least classically educated.
Bosnia is too politically fractured to stand at all.
Their certainly is a resemblance in Commander-in-Chief leadership. And to think that when we created USD-AV we thought that there could not be one more inept than Slick Willy.
This misspelling had to have originated at the GF Herald. A liberal (ergo illiterate) rag.
Ah, we seem to have a misplaced “U”. I doubted that Mr. Will can even identify word-working tools, let alone reference them in a pleading for Aghanistan withdrawal.
Yes, but in my defense, I don't employ my own editor, nor am I in either the word-working or wood-working business ;>)
I read a story VERY similar to this in Foreign Affairs. It shows why Afghanistan needs to be a long term commitment. Bosnia has been stationed by NATO for years and look what is happening.
The last thing we need are the Serbs, Muslims and Croats trying to wipe one another out again.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.