Articles

The War in Kosovo

Links to Slate’s recent coverage.

In “The Unhappy Warrior,” William Saletan examines President Clinton’s struggle between idealism and realism. In “Excuses, Excuses,” he discusses Clinton’s watered-down apologies for the embassy bombing.  In “Yankee Go Home,” he lambastes the hell no, we won’t go Republicans; in “Double Take,” he asks who’s miscalculating the belligerence level. In “Kosovo Con Games,” he strafes the bogus arguments against the NATO war plans.

In “Strange Bedfellow,” David Plotz looks at Israel’s complicated response to the Kosovo crisis, shows how Kosovo has turned hawks into doves and doves into hawks, and discusses why the Pentagon is leaking.

Mathew Cooper in “Kill and Die for ‘Credibility’?” explains there are good reasons for what we’re doing in Yugoslavia. Credibility isn’t one of them.

Massa Gessen introduces Viktor Chernomyrdin, the minister nobody knows, in “Assessment.”

The Reverse Domino Theory” says we can prevent genocide.

Jonathan Chait debunks the myth of the underpaid solder in “Crapshoot.”

“Explainer” tells how Jesse Jackson frees prisoners; describes NATO’s carbon filament fiber bombs; finds out who is the Kosovo Liberation Army; provides a Balkan glossary; and gives the lowdown on which way to pronounce “Kosovo,” depending on your politics.

What solution does history dictate for Kosovo? Good question, says David Greenberg in the “History Lesson.”

In “Let’s Mask a Deal,” William Saletan dissects the diplomatic doublespeak for negotiating with Milosevic. In a “Frame Game,” he asks: “How can we justify invading Kosovo after promising not to?” and decides that it sounds like a job for Bill Clinton. NATO and Milosevic are playing a head game over who’s punishing whom. In “War of Wills,” Saletan shows how Milosevic is winning the spin war.

How did Clinton win public support for bombing Serbia? By rephrasing the question, explains Saletan. Some people ask, “Why bomb Serbia?” Clinton asks, “Why not?”

Chatterbox says, that’s Mister Milosevic to you. Here he examines the justification for the U.S. media’s outrage at being expelled from Yugoslavia.

Michael Kinsley helps you translate the six easy answers favored by politicians unwilling to take a stand on the Kosovo bombings.

“International Papers” summarizes what the world press has to say about Kosovo in the Monday, June 28, Thursday, June 24, and Monday, June 21 columns.

The Week/The Spin” tells you what’s going on in Kosovo, and also what politicians say is going on in Kosovo.

And “Pundit Central” gives you the latest from the armchair generals of the Sunday morning talk show circuit.

Read what John Allen Paulosand Lisa Zeidner think about the news coverage of the conflict in “The Breakfast Table.”

Masha Gessen supplies “Dispatches From the War Zone,” while Eliot A. Cohen and Owen Harries debate “So, What Do We Do Now?

John Hillen and Robert Kagan discuss “Should NATO Send in Ground Troops?

Today’s Papers” discusses newspaper coverage of the bombings.

Chatterbox does his bit for the boys by concentrating the full power of www.anagramgenius.com on Serbia’s leader. Sample: “Slobodan Milosevic” yields “So, so vile, bold, manic!” Also, he predicts that Clinton will lie his way to victory in Kosovo.

Finally, if you’re a little rusty on what exactly they’re fighting about in Kosovo, here are squibs on 1) what Kosovo wants, and what Serbia’s willing to give (hint: They’re not the same); 2) the difference between Kosovo and Bosnia; 3) why fighting in Kosovo could spark a Pan-Balkan conflagration; and 4) Kosovo’s long and bloody history. Or click here for a profile of Slobodan Milosevic.