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Uglier all the time The Serbs Aren't Playing AroundBy Rick Horowitz Click. " -- and welcome to War Games! Are you ready to match wits with the world's best strategists and planners? Then let's say hello to today's contestants. Johnny?" "She's a senior cabinet official from a major Western democracy. She loves floppy hats and foreign travel. From Washington, D.C., let's welcome Madeleine!" "Glad to have you on the show, Madeleine. Ready to play War Games?" "Ready, willing and able!" "That's what we like to hear! And who's our second contestant, Johnny?" "He's a supreme commander from one of the top military alliances of all time. There's something about a man in a uniform -- from Brussels, Belgium, a big War Games welcome for Wesley!" "Good to see you, Wesley -- you're looking particularly in command this morning." "Good to be here." "And we're glad to have you. Now, you both know how we play War Games -- we'll 'attack' you with questions on diplomatic and military tactics, and you'll try to 'defeat' the questions -- and one another -- by firing back with the correct answers. Everybody ready to go to war?" "Ready!" "Ready!" "Good! So let's play some...War Games! Our topic today is Serbia, a small but important nation right in the heart of southeastern Europe, and the scene of bitter ethnic and religious strife for centuries. That's the locale, now let's get started: Peace talks take place in Rambouillet, France, between the Serbian government and Albanian Kosovars. The Kosovars sign a proposal granting them limited autonomy within Serbia, and NATO threatens to use force against the Serbs unless they do the same. For 100 points, Madeleine, what does Serbia do?" "Capitulates. Serbia capitulates and signs the agreement." "Sorry, Madeleine -- the correct answer is 'Serbia ignores NATO's threats and rejects the agreement.' Here's a followup for Wesley: Once Serbia rejects that peace agreement, it enlarges military operations against the Albanian Kosovars. Civilian observers and Western diplomats pull out of Serbia as NATO threatens imminent air strikes. For 100 points, Wesley, what does Serbia do now?" "Capitulates. Serbia stops its Kosovo campaign." "Afraid not, Wesley -- the correct answer is 'Serbia ignores the threats and steps up its Kosovo campaign.' No points for either of our contestants yet, but we're just getting started. What if we move from NATO threats to NATO action? Here's one for Wesley: NATO launches its first stage of nighttime military strikes against Serbian air-defense installations and similar targets. Without these facilities, the Serbs may be helpless against later NATO attacks. For 200 points, Wesley, what is Serbia's response?" "What choice do they have? They pull back." "Not quite. Actually, the answer is 'Serbia sends even more troops into Kosovo and forces thousands of ethnic Albanians to leave their homes.'" "Really?" "Hey, lots of people were surprised by that one. OK, Madeleine, here's your chance to grab the lead. After several days of hitting air-defense installations and the like, NATO moves to a second stage of air strikes, with an expanded target list and bombing around the clock. For 200 points, how does Serbia react?" "That's an easy one -- Serbia's will is broken, and they surrender to overwhelming force." "Afraid not. The answer we're looking for is 'Serbia launches an all-out campaign against the Albanian Kosovars, murdering innocent civilians, assassinating opposition leaders, torching entire villages, destroying vital historical records, creating hundreds of thousands of refugees and destabilizing neighboring governments throughout the region.'" "I was going to say that!" "Sorry, Madeleine, but you know our War Games rules: You only get one chance to get it right. Well, we're looking at some big goose eggs on the scoreboard so far, but there's plenty of action yet to come, including our special Ground Force Prisoner Bonus Round. Don't go away, we'll be back to War Games right after th -- " Click. Posted
4/2/99. It's the place to visit in wartime and
peacetime!
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