The United Nations' current actions may actually be setting the stage for further ethnic violence in Kosovo, according to U.N. High Commission for Refugees Field Officer Peter Deck.
At a panel discussion in 28 Silsby last week, Deck told the crowd of about 80 people that the U.N. is facilitating the return of displaced Serbs back into Kosovo amidst the protests of angry and vengeful Kosovars.
He said he believes such action will only serve to heighten the fighting between Kosovars and Serbians, which, despite the toppling of the Slobodan Milosevic regime, has continued almost unabated.
Deck attributed the U.N.'s actions to what he sees as a false sense of security in the international community regarding the Balkans.
"There is a false sense of security now that Milosevic is gone," he said.
Indeed, Deck said the conflict in Kosovo is still very much alive.
When the over 800,000 Kosovar refugees began returning to the region, 150,000 Serbs fled to the provinces of northern Kosovo, which, in addition to another province in southern Kosovo, remains under Serbian control.
"There is still daily shooting and rock-throwing along Kosovo's eastern border with Serbia proper. In fact, when I first arrived in Kosovo, after the bombing had ceased, Serbs were still forcing Kosovars from their homes in the central provinces. In addition, 100,000 Serbs still reside in southern Kosovo," Deck said.
According to Deck, the potential for strife is already ripe. He suggested the importation of displaced Serbs back into central Kosovo may thrust Kosovo once again into an abyss of ethnic violence.
During the panel discussion questions were also raised as to the motivation behind NATO's decision to bomb Serbia in 1999.
Visiting Associate Professor of History Ron Edsforth, who is also the War and Peace Studies Coordinator and moderated the event, suggested that NATO used bombs in Serbia because of its desire to inflict vengeance upon the Serbian government rather than to accomplish strategic objectives.
Edsforth added that he believes this idea is strengthened by the fact that before March 23rd, the day that the bombing began, ethnic cleansing had been occurring in Turkey, yet NATO had taken no punitive action towards that country.
"The key role of NATO in the bombing reflected the U.S. fear that it might lose its European dominance. There were no rational causes for NATO's decision," Edsforth said.
He added that the United States' fear of humiliation may have triggered the war.
"The failure to stop the Serbs had led to the desire to bloody Milosevic. The U.S. was out for blood rather than to accomplish goals," Edsforth said.
Yale University professor Ruth Wedgewood, another panelist, countered that to end a war, a nation must break the will of a regime. She said she believes this can be accomplished by making the war palpable to the people.
Overall, student reaction to the provocative panel discussion was positive.
"I thought it was good, but also that the panelists had opinions that were very strong," Alexandra Meise '01, said.
Chris Hummel '01 said "I'm a War and Peace Studies student and have been very interested in the Balkans since high school ... I thought it was very good."
