Kosovo & The Trinity: Mismatched Strategy and the Expectations for Success

摘要

Another conflict threatens to spew out of the volatile Balkans. Rebels in the Kosovo province of Serbia in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are demanding autonomy. President Milosevic's force has cracked down bloodily in an area they have long oppressed. Civilians are caught up in the conflict, actively targeted by both sides. A humanitarian crisis has seen 300,000 refugees flee to the hills for protection. Winter approaches. Efforts to ease the tensions by the European community have been largely ineffective. NATO, led by the United States, has taken the lead. United Nations' Security Council resolutions condemn the violence on both sides and demand a withdrawal of Serbian army units. NATO has issued an ultimatum for Serbian compliance and has threatened punitive airstrikes. Strategists have outlined courses of action and the target sets have been determined. Warplanes sit poised in Italy and Hungary ready to strike. Tensions mount. This paper's thesis is that the United States is about to become embroiled in a conflict whose character runs contrary to the type of conflict the American public is willing to commit to. Additionally, the apparent choice of military strategy does not seem to be clearly linked to accomplishing the political objectives. and offers both Serb and Albanian many courses of action to negate our strategy. The paper begins with a brief historical background of the conflict.