Comments on: An American intervention gone partly right

By: Purp

Purp — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:25:53 +0000

17 years isn’t much historical distance to be drawing conclusions of success or failure from.

By: Vibes

Vibes — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:13:11 +0000

I don’t understand why is US blamed here. When natives are not able to develop their own nation, and require outside help, this is what happens. Did you expect US to arrive, pour in valuable billions, repair the nation to make it as progressive as any other self-reliant nation and leave?

No foreign nation would help for charity. So stop complaining and work towards nation building.

By: LeahLee

LeahLee — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:01:45 +0000

Helping Bosnia. Wow! Beginning with the collapse of Yugoslavia, the US has made the usual policy choice of aligning itself with Muslim separatists. Copying the tactic used in Afghanistan, the US and its allies worked with Islamic fundamentalists by training and arming mujahedeen fighters in their “resistance struggle” against the Serbs. THAT was SO smart. In doing so, the West opened the door for radical Islam to enter Europe. Bosnia is currently a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalist activity and the “independent” nation of Kosovo is a failing state home to domestic and international terrorist groups. Helping, really!

By: Loeber

Loeber — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:09:49 +0000

It was shameful cowardice on the part of the West and the White House that it took 400 days of murder and maiming to move them to help the Bosnians .. now the Syrians are suffering because of the cowardice ..

I have been to Syria .. I never met a better kinder people .. they deserve more than cowardly empty words from the White House and Europe ..

By: RPfromRC

RPfromRC — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:58:48 +0000

Texas_Blueblood, read the May 3 comment by gmbooks.

You are a typical US soldier or veteran, thinking the the survivors of those killed should be grateful to the killers. NATO intervention may have saved lives overall, but NATO certainly did major destruction of both lives and property. It is clear that NATO forces were unwilling to risk their own lives to any real extant, but willing to kill far more.

By: Texas_BlueBlood

Texas_BlueBlood — Fri, 11 May 2012 02:22:18 +0000

Baja,

As someone who lived in constant fear for my life as a 19 year-old corporal in the US army stationed in Bosnia in the 90s, I can tell you that I am disgusted that anyone would have the nerve to criticize one tiny element of our contribution toward ending their nightmare. If only 1/10th of the horrific stories the locals told us are true, the nazis would have a lot to learn from the local mass murderers. I’ll say it again, you’re welcome.

By: BajaArizona

BajaArizona — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:36:09 +0000

Texas_BlueBlood, I would argue that our responsibility for this region began in June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo, with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and was reaffirmed by our participation in WW 2 and the Cold War.

Our country has shed the blood and treasure of generations to provide for a peaceful Europe. The wars in the former Yugoslavia of the 90s threatened this peace. Once again, the feckless European countries were unable to intervene effectively. Had we let the situation continue, history proves that another epic disaster could have evolved, thus throwing away all that our parent’s, grandparent’s, and great-grandparent’s generations had sacrificed to achieve.

By: Texas_BlueBlood

Texas_BlueBlood — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:57:11 +0000

I’m extremely annoyed that the locals have the nerve to criticize our gift of $1.65 billion. Why was it our responsibility to create a golden utopia for this region? We were not allies. We had nothing to do with their strife. If anyone from the Balkans is reading this, you’re welcome.

By: Andrew_Eggers

Andrew_Eggers — Sun, 06 May 2012 05:00:27 +0000

Great article. It’s never easy knowing when to get involved in a fight.

What would the world be like today if the US never got involved in WWII?

By: StevenMitchell1

StevenMitchell1 — Sat, 05 May 2012 09:57:43 +0000

Thank you for your insights David Rohde. While the violence was terminated most likely because of early and effective intervention by the Clinton administration and NATO, we have also likely been unable to engender a viable economy in Bosnia I would think largely for the same reasons the US has been unable to generate a sustainable economy at home. It would require planning, and a “planned economy” has become a buzzword for a “socialist economy”, regardless of the planning or strategies employed. A world without a vision has become the byword for the last 20 years. I would also think the malaise will continue until the World (in a figurative sense) “unexpectedly” explodes.