America: a Beacon, not a Policeman	French views--Le Monde on American World Empire--Kosovo and Iraq	Americans Against World Empire  Homepage

KOSOVO AND IRAQ
Two faces of American Strategy

Translated from Le Monde Libertaire, 10th February 1999



Europeans are looking on attentively: Serbia and the
KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) have three weeks to reach
an agreement and stop the fighting which is tearing
Kosovo apart. Hubert Védrine, the French Foreign
Minister, has even gone to the Balkans in order to give a
sign to the combatants that this time the ultimatum is
serious. To be honest, Slobodan Milosevic must, once
again, be having a good laugh faced with this new threat
which is set to precede the next withdrawal (partial
probably). A few thousand kilometres away Iraqis are
almost certainly in tears as they behold the death and
ruins which have been delivered on them in the most
complete indifference.

The Americans decided unilaterally for strikes on Iraq and
without waiting launched a massive bombing. There are
evidently two value systems and two policies in the 'new
international order' which is no more and no less than a new
American imperialism. Reference to the personal difficulties of
President Clinton, linked to 'inappropriate' sexual activities, is a
useful way of explaining things as it draws attention to the
mediocrity of the politicians but it also acts as a media
palliative which covers up the underlying reality: the American
empire is being built without opposition and in its own way
since the fall of the Soviet empire.

CHOOSING TARGETS

'Let there be no mistake, there is no country on the planet
which is beyond our reach' was the statement from the Atlantic
Commander in Chief for the US in 1997. He need not worry.
Nobody has had any doubts about this since the Gulf War of
1991.

But he might have added: without asking for the opinion or
agreement of any third party and above all without reference to
the UN. Those hundreds of missiles that have been launched
over the past few months against Iraq have sent this message
home to the Middle East and to American allies. What is at
stake, as always, is the supply of oil to America at the lowest
price and it is important for America to maintain pressure in
this part of the world and to dissuade the oil producers from
raising prices or in other words to use oil as an economic
weapon as they did in 1973. But the Iraqi target also carries a
message further abroad, notably for US allies and competitors:
we are the masters, we alone choose the targets and any
military intervention must carry our seal of approval.

For the US military strikes against Iraq also provide an
opportunity to test their new military hardware and new
strategies. Scarcely had they returned from their 'Desert Storm'
operation than the strategists at the Pentagon overthrew the
strategic concepts of the US and came up with a new doctrine:
the Revolution in Military Affairs. This revolution has four
aspects. Firstly, the US has (officially) renounced the idea of
winning a nuclear war. On the other hand they are preparing
themselves to be able to carry out two 'regional' campaigns
equivalent to the Gulf War. Then they have decided to prioritise
the notion of an information war. This refers not only to military
intelligence but also to media control. Media manipulation is
not new but with CNN it has broken new ground and the Gulf
War has proved exemplary in this case. The latest strikes
against Iraq has been the latest opportunity to ensure that all
the media and concerned western politicians toe the line. It
has worked out fine. Finally, the strategists have realised that
domestic opinion wants to see victories on their TV sets but
with no real deaths and with the heroes coming home at the
end of the show. Hence the new concept of 'zero death'
(Americans of course)

INTERVENING IN KOSOVO?

Resolution 1199 of the UN Security Council has, since
September 1998, called for a cease fire in Kosovo and the
withdrawal of Serbian troops. Despite this, NATO, although
goaded by the Europeans, has done a U turn after having
blustered and threatened to exact compliance with this
resolution by force. However, there would be no difficulty in
launching strikes against Serbia in the way there was with Iraq.
A naval presence is permanently available in the Mediterranean
and the Americans have NATO bases in Turkey and Italy.

Nor are there any ideological constraints: the Serbian president
is just as big a baddie as his Iraqi equivalent. This turn around
has revealed to the Europeans, so proud of their little Euro,
that when it comes to more serious business it is the Big
Brother who calls the shots.

The Americans have rubbed Europe's noses into the fact that
they are unable to intervene even on their own doorstep.
However, NATO troops will probably intervene in Kosovo in the
end, in the form of ground troops. There are good grounds to
believe that, as in Bosnia, it will be France which will provide
most of the military and that the Americans will pay the bills.
Indeed, when the risk of casualties and deaths are high, it is
the Empires allies who provide the troops. The French rank and
file will therefore have to bear the brunt of it all (the US really
doesn't care) so that this regional conflict doesn't spill over into
the wider Mediterranean area.

The US is at war. They are neither defending nor enlarging their
territory. Instead we are speaking on an economic and
commercial war. Nothing must prevent the free circulation of
capital and goods so that American multinationals can
maximise profits. 'What is good for our businesses is good for
the country', claims Al Gore, the vice-president, showing very
clearly, that all the attributes of power, especially military, are
at capital's service. In order to install a planetary order the
Americans need partners and they prefer to convince rather
than conquer. But they are happy to make clear that if needs
be, they will use the most brutal force. Intimidating the enemy
and gaining the acquiescence of partners are the keys to
American policy.

In this context and with different end games the crises in
Kosovo and Iraq show that the US intends to remain the only
super-power in the 21st Century.

FG