Kosovo compromise

Max Sawicky sawicky at epinet.org
Sat Jun 5 21:36:16 PDT 1999


<< Long ago, Adam Smith observed that the occupation of a country was not necessarily the most efficient method of control. Blair and Clinton have both said that they will do nothing to rebuild Serbia with Milosevic in charge.

I presume that they will let the population rot until Serbia offers compliant leadership. >>

Quite so, but just what is it about Yugoslavia minus Kosovo that you think Blair and Clinton are determined to change? What specific institutions or economic relations were the mote in capitalism's eye? I'd really like to know, especially because with all the wailing about imperialist designs on Serbia, nobody ever let on just what the specific economic goals were, except for talk of seizing the mines in Kosovo or controlling the Danube, neither of which our most informed colleagues (e.g., Barkley and Phillips) on the Balkans seemed to buy into.

I would take odds on a bet that C&B will let Milo run out his string because they have no fundamental differences. Serbia before March was part of the neo-liberal new world order and will remain so. The only wrinkle is they have engineered his indictment as a war criminal, but these things can be smoothed over.

mbs



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