Kosovo and the Holocaust
Dateline: 03/25/99Sarajevo, the capital of neighboring Bosnia, is where World War I began. World War II and the Holocaust engulfed this region. In both wars Europe was slow to recognize the dangers, and the United States waited even longer to enter the conflicts. Just imagine if leaders back then had acted wisely and early enough, how many lives could have been saved, how many Americans would not have had to die. *On March 24, President William Jefferson Clinton specifically used lessons learned from the Second World War and the Holocaust as reasons for attacking Kosovo - but did we learn the correct lessons?
World War I
The decades prior to World War I saw an escalating competition for naval power between Germany and Great Britain. Alliances between various countries held promises of support to allies. Then came trouble in the Balkans.The great powers of this time were empires - covering the globe and consisting of many nations (i.e. peoples). The Austria-Hungary Empire at this time included the Balkans. This empire was experiencing internal conflicts - the growing concept of nationalism (each nation, or people, have a right to an independent country) created unrest among Austria-Hungary's ethnically diverse population.
After Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were shot on June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo, the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef wanted to punish the Serbs - not just for the assassination of the Archduke but also for advocating for Serbian independence.
The Austrian Emperor asked the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, for support. The Germans didn't think Russia was strong enough to intercede, thus agreed to support the Austrians in their endeavor. It was believed that "such a limited engagement could clear the air - both domestic and international - and serve as a positive stabilizing element in central European politics."**
So the Austrians attacked Serbia and because of alliances, the rest of Europe followed suit.
War had begun in Europe. The United States didn't join the war until April 1917 but they still became immersed in the blood, mud, and seeming futility that marked trench warfare. Months would pass, hundreds of thousands of lives lost - and either side would have only gained a few yards, perhaps half a mile. A near stalemate occurred.
Those involved in the war began to wonder - why are we fighting? Where is Serbia? Who are we freeing? Who is the enemy?
There is still much debate as to how and why the First World War started.
World War II
But in the 1930s, we all thought we knew how and why the First World War had started - and we certainly weren't going to make the same mistakes this time.Everyone avoided alliances - not necessarily going to war if a neighboring country or previous ally was invaded.
Another lesson was to let internal and private squabbles be left to those who were affected; thus the great "appeasement." As long as Hitler said he only wanted territory with ethnic Germans (the nationalism concept again), then it was an internal problem - something that should be left to the involved countries. Anything and everything was accepted as long as they could avoid another world war.
Wrong. The Germans inched their way across Eastern Europe without a fight. Only when Germany reached Poland did the world realize that Hitler wanted more than he was asking for. Britain and France declared war. The U.S. entered only after attacked in December 1941 by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor - and only declared war on Germany and Italy after they declare war on her. World War II is in full swing. The Nazis have the war in which to hide the decimation of an entire people - the Holocaust. Only years of fighting will bring its end.
Many people now wonder why Great Britain was so willing to appease Hitler. Many question what would have been different if the Allies had been willing to go to war earlier. We now dedicate ourselves to "remembering" those killed and to work toward a peace so that it will "never again" happen.
Kosovo
Kosovo is one of the four internal realms of what is left of Yugoslavia. Kosovo would like to become independent, stating reasons of nationalism. The President of Yugoslavia, Slobadan Milosevic, does not want them to leave - thus he has been willing to murder thousands in order to oppress the Kosovars and force them to reconsider.The Question Remains . . .
A ) Should we learn the lessons from World War I which tells us not to make internal conflicts into international affairs and that Russia is strong enough and willing to go to war.OR
B ) Should we learn the lessons from World War II which state that small ethnic conflicts can quickly escalate into large problems which are harder to fix as well as ending in millions of people murdered - another Holocaust.OR
C ) Are there new lessons to be learned from the past?
* William Jefferson Clinton, Statement by the President to the Nation, March 24, 1999.
** Jay Winter and Blaine Baggett, The Great War: And the Shaping of the 20th Century (New York: Penguin Books, 1996) 50.
