Letter: West has aided cruelty of Milosevic
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: One hopes that the world will take stock of the situation in Serbia and ask itself if it was wise to impose sanctions.
The idea that the civil war in Bosnia could be ended by applying sanctions on Serbia alone relied upon the premise that, first, the Bosnian Serbs were the only side at fault, and second, that the pressure of sanctions on Serbia itself would force the mother country to withdraw her support and persuade the ethnic Serbs to accept the will of the West. This was never going to stop the expansionist ambitions of Croatia whose ethnic cleansing carries on unchecked, largely unreported and uncriticised. Finally, the Bosnian Serbs' flat rejection of the Vance-Owen plan, despite the intervention of the Serbian president, put paid to the other half of the premise.
As was widely predicted by the Serbian opposition, both inside and outside Serbia, far from weakening the position of the leader, Slobodan Milosevic, sanctions have given him the opportunity to strengthen his position, and he now stands on the verge of establishing a total dictatorship. No doubt he would doff his hat to his unlikely allies in Bonn and Brussels.
Isolated and with hope fading fast, our age-old friends and allies, the ordinary Serbian people, stand on the edge of an abyss.
Yours faithfully,
FRANCIS MAGUIRE
New Malden,
Surrey
5 June
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments