<<  <  >  >>

Page 20

The first step of that transformation was Bosnia,

which set a precedent for NATO operations outside the geo-

graphic territory of its member states.  Before that,

NATO's purpose was to defend the borders of alliance mem-

bers against external threats, particularly the Soviet

Union.  By the end of the Cold War, however, NATO was an

alliance in search of a purpose, and peacekeeping present-

ed it with an opportunity to justify its continued exis-

tence.  In the case of Bosnia, though, the national gov-

ernment in Sarajevo approved of NATO intervention.  In the

case of Kosovo, the national government of Yugoslavia

adamantly opposes intervention.  If NATO goes ahead any-

way, it will set an entirely new precedent: NATO can con-

duct "out-of-area" operations even if the government of

the country in question objects to it.

That dangerous enlargement of NATO's purview exposes

the United States to possible involvement in conflicts all

around the world.  Indeed, if NATO can intervene in

Kosovo, it can theoretically intervene anywhere.  That is

an especially ominous prospect, given Secretary of State

Madeleine K. Albright's statement earlier this year that

NATO should extend its geographic reach beyond the

European continent and evolve into "a force for peace from

the Middle East to Central Africa."78   Kosovo is just one

of many places in the world where a minority group within

an established state has engaged in a violent effort to

break away: Armenians in Azerbaijan, Christians in Sudan,

Kurds in Turkey and Iraq, Tamils in Sri Lanka, Kashmiri

Muslims in India, Karens in Burma, Tibetans and Uighurs in

China, Chechens in Russia, Abkhazis in Georgia, and so on.

Europe's Role

If America's European allies ignore all the aforemen-

tioned dangers and nevertheless decide that intervening in

Kosovo is in their interests, any military or humanitarian

mission that follows should be carried out as a Western

European Union (WEU) operation that does not require a

U.S. troop commitment.  That's because it is Europe, not

the United States, that is most affected by events in the

Balkans.

In carrying out a European-led mission, the WEU would

take a long overdue step in building its own security and

defense identity, one that does not depend psychologically

and militarily on the transatlantic participation of the

United States.  Not only would that make those nations

closest to Kosovo responsible for maintaining regional sta-

bility, but it would also strengthen the credibility of