NATO's Indecision Threatens Credibility and Leads to Humanitarian Crisis in Kosovo

Strategic Insights -

Western diplomats have voiced concerns that NATO's indecision on whether to act against Slobodan Milosevic's military offensive in Kosovo has severely threatened the alliance's credibility and will lead to a prolonged humanitarian crisis. The recent shelling and torching of villages by Yugoslav forces, coupled with the apparent electoral victory of a Serbian ultra-nationalist in Bosnia, have put Washington's policy on its biggest test since the 1995 Dayton peace agreement. The NATO diplomat acknowledged that the alliance had underestimated the strength and will of the Serbs, while overestimating the strength of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Key Takeaways:

  • NATO's indecision has allowed Yugoslav forces to roll on unchallenged, resulting in the displacement of over 250,000 ethnic Albanians from their homes.
  • Since late July, about 250,000 ethnic Albanians have been forced from their homes in Kosovo, with more than 50,000 currently without shelter in the cold and rain.
  • The health clinic in the village of Dobrotin was burned, and the school was vandalized after Serbian forces used it as sleeping quarters.
  • About 10,000 civilians were forced to flee from around 20 villages near Podujevo, 20 miles north of the Kosovo capital, Pristina.
  • NATO's failure to act has given Milosevic comfort, failing to live up to repeated threats of using its air power.
  • The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has reported that an estimated 10,000 civilians have been displaced in the recent attacks.
  • Christopher Hill, Washington's envoy on Kosovo, is scheduled to meet with Milosevic today, amid a flurry of discussion about Kosovo at the UN General Assembly and a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers in Portugal.

Statistics:

  • Over 250,000 ethnic Albanians have been forced from their homes since late July.
  • About 50,000 ethnic Albanians are currently without shelter in the cold and rain.
  • Over 10,000 civilians were forced to flee from around 20 villages near Podujevo.
  • About 3,000 ethnic Albanians were bussed into the city of Shkoder in neighboring Albania last weekend.
  • More than 250,000 ethnic Albanians have been displaced in Kosovo since late July.

Sources:

  • "NATO indecision threats [sic] credibility and leads to human disaster" by Jane Perlez, New York Times, September 27, 1998
  • U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman Fernando del Mundo
  • UN refugee operations director Margaret O'Keefe
  • Christopher Hill, Washington's envoy on Kosovo