Leave the Serbs Alone
by Pete Papageorge
April 2, 2001

The U.S. Government should be ashamed of how they’re dealing with the current situation concerning Milosevic’s arrest in Belgrade. Dangling millions of dollars in financial aid desperately needed by a Serb society NATO destroyed 2 years ago on the condition of handing Milosevic over to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) could break the fragile democracy of the Serb government. Milosevic’s supporters could start a civil war and re-ignite ill views toward NATO’s bombing 2 years ago.

The U.S. should back off and let the Serbs deal with Milosevic on corruption charges, etc… After all, the ICTY has proven to be a court that is heavily anti-Serb. With nearly half the judges that come from NATO countries, the majority of the prosecutors that come from NATO countries and the predominant funding coming from NATO governments, this should be no surprise.

Going further, the ICTY has not opened one investigation against the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and its leaders. Even some of NATO’s bombing targets came into question like the TV station and power grids and yet the ICTY hasn’t lifted a finger to even investigate.

With the formation of a International Criminal Court (ICC) expected within a year to replace tribunals like the ICTY, the U.S. Government is waffling on this issue. On one end they oppose the formation of the ICC on grounds "that U.S. soldiers on missions abroad could be made subject to politicized charges related to alleged offenses committed in combat" and that "it wants individual countries to have the final say over whether their citizens should stand trial."

How can the U.S. Government on one end say this and yet demand Milosevic to be handed over to the ICTY?

A fragile democracy like that of Serbia today needs financial assistance in order to survive and grow. What they don’t need right now is Milosevic supporters rising to the front stage – exactly what U.S. policy will lead to. Let the Serbs deal with Milosevic, it is their nation and not ours. As long as he is brought to justice and convicted, he will be discredited and will never rise to power again.