Another antidote is an important book that came out in 2009 and should be read by anyone who cares about Balkan issues and beyond.
First Do No Harm: Humanitarian Intervention and the Destruction of Yugoslavia
By David N. Gibbs
Vanderbilt University Press, Nashville, TN 2009
Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble
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This book, First Do No Harm: Humanitarian Intervention and the Destruction of Yugoslavia, given to me by a friend, is one of the best, if not the best, written on the subject of the mess that was created in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s into the present. Personally, I believe that U.S. military intervention is, and has been, appropriate in certain circumstances and is justified. Military intervention in the former Yugoslavia, however, was a huge "mistake" for a number of reasons, the primary one being that it was done under the false pretenses of "humanitarianism" at the expense of the Serbs. The West, unfortunately, took the side of the bad guys against the good guys. It will be a while before all the "Truths" come out about what really happened in the former Yugoslavia from 1989 through 2009 and beyond, but this important book by David Gibbs is an essential part of that process.
Although Gibbs repeats and holds fast to some of the disinformation and myths regarding alleged Serbian "crimes" in the former Yugoslavia, to his great credit he is far better than most in being willing and able to cut through all the lies that have pervaded the analysis of what went on in the Balkans in the last two decades. I highly recommend this book, "First Do No Harm: Humanitarian Intervention and the Destruction of Yugoslavia" by David N. Gibbs. Even those who believe they know all there is to know about the issue of the former Yugoslavia will be shocked at the extent of the external subterfuge that went on in ripping that country apart and making the Serbs the scapegoats for the crimes. This external "intervention" will have repercussions for the free world, especially the Christian world, far into the future.
Aleksandra Rebic
February 2010
Below is an excerpt from one of the chapters specifically pertaining to the subject matter discussed in this thread.
THE SREBRENICA MASSACRE AND ITS AFTERMATH
From "First Do No Harm" by David N. Gibbs
Pages 160-161
"The origin of the Srebrenica massacre lay in a series of Muslim attacks that began in the spring of 1995. These attacks were launched from UN-protected safe areas, including the one in Srebrenica. According to the Dutch investigation of the massacre:"
"'The UN headquarters in Zagreb had...concluded that the Bosnian Muslims continually misused the safe areas to maintain their armed forces, which in some cases it looked as if they intended to provoke shelling by the Bosnian Serbs.'"
"Such actions invited Serb reprisals, and this dynamic contributed to the fall of the safe area. Beginning on July 6, 1995 Serb forces assaulted Srebrenica and quickly overran it, despite the (nominal) UN protection."
"The Bosnian government made no serious effort to defend the town and appeared unconcerned that it might be captured. EU negotiator Carl Bildt notes that Bosnian military forces assigned to protect Srebrenica were 'not putting up any resistance. Later it was revealed that they had been ordered by the Sarajevo commanders not to defend Srebrenica.' And Bosnia's foreign minister, Muhamed Sacirbey, told Bildt that Srebrenica 'had always been a problem for his government. They knew that a peace settlement would mean the loss of the enclave. So from this point of view, what had happened [the Serb capture of the town] made things easier' (emphases added by Gibbs). Bildt also noted that during his conversation with Sacirbey, 'I was more upset about what had happened than he [Sacirbey] seemed to be. His calm reactions and controlled arguments still seem to me to be a mysterious piece of the Srebrenica puzzle.'"
"And military correspondent Ripley provides further evidence that the Bosnian government allowed Serb armies to seize the town:"
"'British, Dutch, and other UNPROFOR personnel and many veterans of the Sarajevo press corps, including [Martin] Bell of the BBC, and Nick Gowing of the Channel Four television network all came to the conclusion that the Bosnian government decided to let Srebrenica fall to increase the pressure on the international community to intervene against the Serbs....A month before [the Serb attack], Sarajevo had ordered [Brigadier Oric, the local commander]...to leave for no apparent reason. He was then prevented from returning. As the situation worsened, the Sarajevo leadership made no effort to launch diversionary attacks...Dutch peacekeepers near Tuzla told Gowing that they saw Bosnian troops escaping from Srebrenica...carrying brand new anti-tank weapons, still in their plastic wrappings...[British UN peacekeeper Lieutenant Col. Jim] Baxter said 'they [the Bosnian government] knew what was happening in Srebrenica. I am certain they decided it was worth the sacrifice.'" [emphasis added by Gibbs]
"The foregoing information raises the possibility that the Izetbegovic government actually welcomed the conquest of Srebrenica and took specific measures to increase the likelihood that conquest would occur; and that in doing this, the government was acting on the basis of a larger strategy, which aimed at augmenting international sympathy for the Bosnian cause and thus drawing in NATO military intervention to be directed against the Serbs."
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To see reviews of "First Do No Harm" on Amazon.com, please click below:
Reviews of "First Do No Harm" by David Gibbs on Amazon
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