Byzantine Blog

As a side note, the U.S. will be preoccupied soon with war in the Middle East:

The USS Cole guided missile destroyer opposite Lebanon. It was joined Monday by the USS Nassau amphibious warship and its strike group of six vessels carrying 2,800 marines, flight crews and sailors. US naval sources report that a third group will join them shortly. The Nassau is accompanied by the amphibious transport dock ship USS Nashville , the guided missile destroyers USS Ross and USS Bulkeley and the fast nuclear strike submarine USS Albany SSN 753.

The U.S. Navy has sent an Aegis missile defense ship to Israel. The USS San Jacinto has arrived in the Israeli port of Haifa. The IDF deployed Patriot missile defense batteries around Haifa. Public safety in northern Israel were instructed to inspect bomb shelters and ascertain they were ready for use by March 10. The end of the 40 days of mourning for Mughniyeh on March 22-23 is anxiously awaited.

If the Serbs are to make any moves, soon will come the chance!

It's unwise to call for military action or violence now, or anytime in the future. Violence and military action are contraproductive.

The Serbian police officers in Kosovo are on a far better track to support Serbia's cause. Civil disobedience, no cooperation with those who promote the "Kosovo Independence" and focussing on the close coordination with Serbia's friends and supporters are much better paths to pursue.

Political and civil resistance on every level of Serbia's society, be it in Pristina, in Belgrade or anywhere else. Policemen, firefighters, postmen, busdrivers ... everybody can contribute to the cause, and most certainly will.

Be hot-blooded and dedicated in your minds, but well-considered and cold-blooded in your actions. Above all, don't listen to false friends. Don't let anybody drive you into hastly and wrong decisions undermining your efforts.

Tell that to the U.S. and the entire NATO alliance!

The Serbs are merely responding to their land being taken away illegally. I do not recall any nation in the world that would just sit back and let this happen.

Haribert...What planet are you from? Serbia is dealing with a pack of wolves and jackels that want Serbs dead. The US government is under control of a wolf pack that doesn't give a crap even about the wishes of
its own citizens. The US government is busy selling off the birthrights of its own citizens. It (the US ggovernment) believes it "rules the entire world". What makes you think it gives a crap about civil disobedience in Kosovo or Serbia. They are about destroying Serbia piecemeal and taking its land...period...because...Orthodox Christians do NOT fit into the new world order, NOR do any Christians for that matter. The Orthodox Christian peoples need to recognize this threat and meet it head onwith military action if necessary.

BTW, you don't work for Merkel do you??

@ oxi

I strongly encourage Serbia to respond and I do not suggest Serbia should sit back and do nothing. All I am saying is that there are other opitions than sending the Serbian army into a fight it presently can't win.

As I've wrote previously, violence and military action are contraproductive. Why ? Let me try to explain.

The anti-Serbian propaganda, which lead to the current situation, describes Serbia being a "rogue state", being militaristic and aggressive. Which signal would Serbia send if she decided to field her army at this moment ? Wouldn't that add water to the mills of anti-Serbian propaganda ? Would that help Serbia ? I don't think so.

As much as I dislike writing this, but if you have a look at Serbia's military power you will recognize that unfortunately the Serbian military is no match to the military power of NATO. Sending her army to war, Serbia would send her soldiers into a military disaster. Do you really want to do this ? I would hate to see this happen, particularly because I am pro-Serbia.

You ask me to tell the US and NATO that I disagree with their policies on Kosovo ? I'm doing this for years already. And I am in disagreement with US and NATO policies not only on Kosovo.

@ joesixpack31

Do I work for Mrs Merkel ? No, quite the contrary. I didn't even vote for her. Do you have to apply such polemic / rhetoric ? I assume you can do much better.

I am pretty much familiar with US policies, domestic and foreign, and I know what US foreign policy is about. Now, why do I suggest Serbia should apply civil disobedience instead of military force ?

The supporters of an "Independent Kosovo" want to turn Kosovo into a fully functional civil society and state. Will they achieve this by handing over the authority to the Albanians only ? No, Kosovo can only be a functional state and society when the Serbian population cooperates.

I am convinced that, should the Serbian polpulation of Kosovo (and Serbia herself) refuse to cooperate with UNMIK, EULEX, "the government of Kosovo", whatever, whoever, ... the "state of Kosovo" will very soon come to a standstill, with the public services and infrastructure being defunct. "The Government of Kosovo" will soon cry for help, will ask UN and EU to come and fix it. Sure, they will come and help for a certain time, because they were cheeky enough to promise to help, but how long ?

It makes far more sense to "attack" the wallets of the cheeky EU countries than their military. Very soon the EU countries will say something like "why the heck should we pay for a bunch of Albanians who can't get their stuff together". The US regularly end their "intervention" and "support" when it becomes too costly for them.

So, let's be wise.

"As much as I dislike writing this, but if you have a look at Serbia's military power you will recognize that unfortunately the Serbian military is no match to the military power of NATO. Sending her army to war, Serbia would send her soldiers into a military disaster."

You lack much knowledge of military capability. The Serbs may look weak but when your fighting for your country versus NATO soldiers fighting for a paycheck their is a differeance.

Why do you think NATO back in 1999 feared and did not even threaten a ground attack insteade opting for bombing above 15,000 feet?

NATO soldiers minus Greece would have been slaughtered and NATO would have to resort to nukes if they attacked Serbia on the ground. Serb soldiers have more experience in combat than pro-Muslim NATO forces!

Serbia will have the backing of Russia with possible tactical nuclear weapons to be supplied by Russia soon. With Russia's strategic nuclear forces behind Serbia, NATO would not stand a chance! NATO was a joke back in 1999, they bombed mostly civilian targets and the Serb 3rd Army was left intact when they withdrew after UN Resolution 1244 was signed.

@ Schindler
I certainly understand what you are saying but this is a fight about Srbija's survival.We are trying to avoid becoming extinct.Civil disobedience and not cooperating will only draw ridicule from the godless German/US/NATO/EU juggernaut.We are not too concerned with what people are going to think of us when we are trying just to survive.German fascism is today alive and doing well it has changed it's name and says its democratic but it is still the same Germany our fathers fought.
Now it has almost all of Europe.What they did not get in two world wars they are getting through the EU and NATO.
@ Oxi come on I think Russia will give Srrbija all the verbal support it can but I do not think they will take action.I did read from a dubious source Putin offered Srbija nukes but that is ridiculous.NATO would act before the first warhead was delivered.Russia will not help Srbija with anything more than lip service.

@ Jovan

Although I understand your anger I have to say that your view on Germany is full of generalisations and reflects a rather woeful knowledge of presentday Germany.

@ Oxi

You should be a little more reluctant regarding the assesment of other people's knowledge of military matters. You neither know who I am nor do you know what my professional background is.

Heribert,

Understand that Serbia just lost 15% of its territory (at least in the eyes of the corrupt west) and you expect them to just sit back and let this happen?

If the U.S. was to lose that much land you could bet of a major military response to secure those borders.

The U.S. spends over $500 billion a year on weapons and they just attacked Iraq in 2003 without proper justification and Serbia back in 1999 without proper justification. What are you going to say about that and their militarist policies?

The Serbs were fighting Islamic terrorists until the U.S. and NATO came in to rescue them. What say you again?

Also read into what NATO minus Greece bombed for 78 days, it sure wasn't the Serb 3rd Army in Kosovo. They left virtually intact after UN Resolution 1244 was signed into international law.

@ oxi

You wrote: "Understand that Serbia just lost 15% of its territory (at least in the eyes of the corrupt west) and you expect them to just sit back and let this happen?"

Please re-read what I wrote. I DO NOT EXPECT Serbia to sit back and DO NOTHING. What I suggest is to NOT APPLY military force. Any military commander worth his salt, domestic or foreign, will affirm that with virtually no existing air-power and without an air-shield , operations of armed forces on the ground will end in a desaster. Sending an army to war under such conditions and circumstances is simply irresponsible.

To be more drastic, it's not like sending an army to war ... it's like sending it to the slaughterhouse. Is this what you want ?

I agree that Iraq 2003, as well as Kosovo 1999, were military operations in clear violation of international law and the UN charta. Both operations were, in my oppinion, acts of aggression without any sound legal justification. I never said, wrote or communicated anything different.

All the points you raise on "justifications" and "militarist policies" are valid and I do very much agree with you. But your assessment of Serbia's military power and abilities is incorrect.

Again, I side Serbia in her struggle to regain control of Kosovo. On the other hand, having been a soldier for a very long time myself, I oppose any suggestion sending soldiers into a bloody war they can't win.

Heribert,

Back in 1999 NATO used air power only and that accomplished nothing but the destruction of hundreds of civilian sites. They did not bother with ground troops because they knew better. The Serbs had air power and ground forces and ordered them all to shut down and wait if stupid NATO would send in ground forces.

Today, Serbia could send in ground forces backed with anti-air guns and missiles to defend their homeland. NATO has no authority to attack Serbia again but that did not stop them back in 1999 though. The differance this time is Russia.

Russia will step in and defend Serbia this time around unlike Yelstin back in 1999. Whatever the Serbs lack Russia will supply all the way up to nukes if needed.

NATO needs to understand they cannot go around the world and violate international laws and expect everyone to bow down to them and their views!

Oxi,

On June 10, 1999 Russian troops moved from Bosnia into Kosovo. These troops were part of SFOR in Bosnia, mandated by the UN. Boris Yeltsin, at that time President of the Russian Federation, had agreed that KFOR in Kosovo was to be under NATO's command. Some of his generals thought differently, ordered a rather small number of Russian Desantniks to take Pristina's airport, to create a Russian "bridgehead" in Kosovo and to enable Russia to have a say in Kosovo. The Russian troops changend "SFOR" to "KFOR" on their vehicles and did indeed manage to reach Pristina and to occupy the airport. Rumours spread that the "Russian Government" had asked Ukraine, Bulgaria and Romania to open their airspace for Russian Antonov transport planes, to bring in some 10000 troops as reinforcements for the Desantniks in Pristina.

NATO CIC (US) General Wesley Clark and (German) General Klaus Naumann, at that time the highest ranked European officer and chairman of the NATO-Military Council, both started to hyperventilate and ordered the British KFOR contingent to "remove the Russians from Pristina Airport". The British had already surrounded the airport and had pointed their guns at the Russians.

The commanding officer of KFOR at that time was the British general Michael Jackson, who picked up the phone ... called Wesley Clark, yelled at him and told him that he would not obey that order and would not engage the Russians. His exact words were "I will not start World War III for you".

We've never been closer to WW III, since the end of the "Cold War", as we were on June 10, 1999. This lesson was learnt, by NATO as well as by Russia. Russia will not risk WW III over the "Kosovo Crisis", neither will NATO, and after all we're in 2008 - not in 1999. Putin today, and Medwedew tomorrow, are much more in control of the Russian forces than Yeltsin ever was, no Russian general will dare to make any such decision (like Pristina 1999) ever again.

Address the Russian government and repeat your statement "Whatever the Serbs lack Russia will supply all the way up to nukes if needed." You will hear a very determined "Никогда!" in reply. And (sorry !) also regarding your assessment of Serbia's military power. At least the way you describe it.

Serbia will receive all the support Russia can provide via political and diplomatic channels. All the way up to the UN Security Council. No doubt about that. But troops ? No. Nukes ? No way.

To be precise here, once again and for all, I have a lot of respect for Serbia and admire the bravery and the military skills of Serbia's armed forces. Against NATO, Serbia has a snowball's chance in hell to win.

I will put that topic to rest here and now.

Tell me something new about how the Russians embarassed NATO by seizing the Pristina Airport...

The fact is Russia made the move under Yelstin which means they are not afraid to confront NATO. After all shooting at a Russian tank is shooting at Russia's entire nuclear arsenal, NATO did not dare that and backed off. NATO blackmailed Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania to not allow those Russian transports to use their air space but if Russia would have pushed it, they would have sent in fighter escorts, etc... and that's how world wars begin.

Today, Russia is stronger under Putin's leadership and Russia will challenge NATO. They completed missile drills last month in NATO's backyard with an aircraft carrier battle group. They had a Tu-95M fly directly over the USS Nimitz in the Pacific twice. Yesterday another Russian bomber got within a few miles of the USS Nimitz carrier battle group having being intercepted by 4 Korean F-16's and 2 F-18's from the carrier.

Russia is serious about deploying nukes if the U.S. goes ahead with their missile base in Poland. And yes when you read reports of possible nukes being given to Serbia, you have to understand the stakes have been risen. Maybe Russia cannot deploy ground troops easily but nukes are easy to move around and send just as big of a message.

The Serbs will have no choice but to partition Kosovo and NATO will object and Serb ground forces will move in to protect its citizens backed with tactical nukes supplied from Russia. The question will be what will NATO do about it? You see how NATO responded back when the Russians seized the Pristina Airport... the same would hold true if the Serbs moved into Kosovo again... NATO would not want to be the ones that will start world war 3. It's their decision and not the Serbs who are merely defending their homeland!