In the midst of all the huffing and puffing over the tragic events in Kosovo-Metohija, it is easy to not notice an event that may prove to be more significant, albeit related, in the long run. That is Clinton's refection of the Chinese move to join the WTO. Far from being principled in terms of either human rights or a failure of the Chinese to meet official WTO criteria, according to the front page of the WSJ today it was because of a combination of Clinton's cowardice vis a vis the Republicans in Congress, and more specifically because of the unwillingness of the Chinese to accede to his demands for protectionism of the US steel and textile industries beyond the requirements for WTO entry.
Clinton has already pushed the Russians and much of Orthodox Eastern Europe back into a Cold War stance vis a vis the US. I have already speculated that the failure of the Russians to make the transition (and open itself up to US oil companies and other multinationals) has led to a writing off of Russia by the US ruling class, with the military- industrial complex group now seeing an opening to revive the Cold War and their profits.
This move with China seems to be part and parcel of the same project. The US seems to be intent on reviving the Sino-Soviet bloc as a nemesis. Certainly a very possible outcome of this US move on WTO will be the replacement of Zhu Rongji by a hard liner with a subsequent alienation of the Chinese from invovlement with the US and a much more hostile attitude forthcoming. For world peace this could prove to be much more serious than what is now tragically transpiring in the Balkans. Barkley Rosser