>I saw a quote from a British Tory MP in the Financial Times a few weeks ago
>that described the Serbs as Christians defending Europe against the Muslim
>hordes of the east. I wonder how much of this there is behind right-wing
>objections to the war.
Interestingly I have heard a similar argument from some Irish Republicans, but with the addition of likening the the Turks to the English, the Serbs to the Irish and the Albanians to the Ulster Scots. But I have also been wondering how much the US/NATO war against Yugoslavia might be motivated in part by a desire to show Muslims that "The West" is willing to kill Christians in support of Muslims. The point would be made to both the growing numbers of Muslims in such countries as the USA, UK, France, etc., and those in the oil producing countries and in such potentially trouble-making markets as Malaysia and Indonesia. Tony Blair made big deal the other day of speaking about the war to an important UK Muslim conferrence. Both Bill and Hillary Clinton have worked the US Muslim community much more than any previous occupants of the White House. And of course the war against Yugoslavia is useful not only in demonstrating the perils of small countries defying the will of the world's only remaining superpower (however incompetently that superpower's forces are being commanded) but also makes it difficult for countries such Egypt, which is very uncomfortable with giving the right to intervene at will to the USA or European countries, to object strongly when the claimed object of the exercise is saving Muslim lives (even though it would be difficult to find one such life that has been saved by NATO's bombing).
K.Mickey