NATO bombing sparks heated debates
by Erica Grimaldo Outpost contributor
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia prompted a series of forums, panels and debates for the University of Nevada community, which remains uncommitted and divided over the European conflict.
The first event, organized by the International Club and the CampusGreens, attracted a crowd of more than 200 students and community members who filled the Edgar J. Cain Hall at UNR on April 6. Subsequent forums have featured panelists from the U.S. Army War College and a Serbian student from UNR talking about the political and economic implications of U.S. involvement in the Balkans.
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The first event was typical in showing the lack of knowledge many say is a reason for their indecisiveness. Few people scattered around the packed auditorium raised their hands to show they supported the NATO bombings in Kosovo. About twice as many raised their hands to show they were against the bombings, but the majority kept their hands down.
"The objective was accomplished and that was to make people understand that this is not a simple issue," said UNR student Roman Dzadzic, brother of one of the five panelists.
Retired General Frank Partlow and UNR faculty member Richard Seigel favored the NATO bombings. On the other side of the issue were UNR students Gordon Dzadzic from Serbia and Dimitrios Kyriakov from Greece. The fifth panel member, UNR history professor Cameron Watson, provided a few minutes of historical background before the format of the presentation changed into a debate.
The choice of panelists was later criticized by audience members who said that an Albanian or someone favoring the Albanians should have participated in the forum.
Seigel, a knowledgeable local source on international affairs, began his arguments by saying that the Serbs were committing genocide. He said Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic could have prevented NATO bombing by signing the Rambouillet peace treaty.
In response, Dzadzic said,"There are 3,000 people dead on each side [and] that cannot be seen as genocide." He listed three major reasons why it was not favorable for Serbs not sign Rambouillet:
- Kosovo would have three years of autonomy within Serbia and could potentially become an independent nation.
- Kosovo would have the right of veto at the state and Federal levels.
- Military forces would have to commit themselves on terms specified by NATO after the peace agreement was signed.
"I hate Yugoslavian President Milosevic but I think that the U.S. could bring a better proposition [to negotiate]," he said.
Audience members provided feedback by clapping or shaking their heads as exchanges continued and the mood became emotional. The forum was promoted as a group of people eager to provide those interested in the conflict with a historical and political background, but it turned into a heated debate.
Partlow's main argument in favor of the bombings was that powerful images of refugees fleeing their homes could not be ignored.
"There is no way to justify what we are seeing every night in our TV," he said. "These atrocities done by [the Serbs] would have happened regardless of our intervention."
Kyriakov question the way news organizations have been covering the conflict.
"The news American people get are from CNN, and there is always problems when you deal with war because there is censorship," he said. "I do not believe in selecting targets according to political or economical gain and I don't believe in continuing bombing because I don't see it as a way to get to the negotiation table."
The United States pushed for NATO to bomb Kosovo because Yugoslavia is the only country in the Balkans not under their control, he said.
During closing arguments, Siegel said he was glad that many people showed up for the forum but was disappointed that North American people only notice world issues when American arms are about to intervene. He concluded by asking audience members to become more informed about world issues.
Dzadzic, who now makes his home in the United States, apologized to the audience for becoming emotional.
"It is my people being bombed, I have to be emotional about it," he said.
Kyriakov expressed hope that the situation in the Balkans would improve without the need of bombing.
"Displacement of people and bombs don't bring stability [to a country in turmoil]," he said. "I want freedom of religion and language. Freedom in the way Socrates talks about it, not NATO."
As soon as microphones in the front row were open for questions, audience members formed lines behind them that stretched to the back of the room. Most lined up to attack the two most controversial panelists: Partlow, the retired military man and Dzadzic, the Serb student.
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The first audience member at the microphone was UNR political science professor John Scire. He told Partlow that his personal attacks against other panelists were not acceptable.
"The general is making political speeches instead of answering the questions and he is insulting the audience," Scire said after the event.
"Everyone else did a great job, especially Dr. Seigel."
UNR student Ryan Walsh agreed. He said the event was educational but that Partlow was "a cold war dinosaur who was out of place."
"I don't agree with Partlow's statements but I am reluctantly in favor of the attacks because I know you can't appease dictators like Milosevic through diplomacy," he added.
The general apologized for some of the comments he made. He said that he had been involved in the military for many years and it is difficult not to communicate the military mindset to an audience.
Audience member Bill Carter, a freelance film maker and writer, was more critical of the panel selection.
"It wasn't balanced," he said. "You have Gordon (Dzadzic) hogging up the microphone and that general turning everyone off.
"It was a tragedy that you have a Serbian and a Greek in one side but you don't have a representative on the other side from Albania," he said.
Johnson said they contacted the International Student Office so they could invite a student from Albania to be in the panel but they couldn't find anybody.
"I met a woman through e-mail who told me that her father had been an Albanian Nationalist and I invited her to participate but she never got back to me," Johnson said. "We have to keep in mind that the whole thing was put together in about 7 days."
UNR student Cayenna Johnson, one of the organizers of the first the event, said it was put together in about a week through a $100 grant from the International Club and the political science department.
"We feel [the event] went well because we had a large turnout and there was much interest, however, the original purpose was to have a sharing forum and early on it turned into a debate, that was not our purpose," she said.
Posted April 23, 1999
Copyright 1999 Nevada Outpost
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