Chuck Hagel on the 1999 Kosovo War

URL:		http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-580196.html
TITLE:		Victory: The Only Exit Strategy
AUTHOR:		Chuck Hagel
SOURCE:		Washington Post
DATE:		31 March 1999
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The situation in the Balkans is the most complicated and dangerous to confront the United States and our NATO allies since the end of the Cold War.

There are no good options. NATO did the right thing in initiating the airstrikes that began last week. We had no choice but to intervene. America could not stand by and not be part of a unified NATO response to the destabilization of Europe, the continued slaughter in the Balkans and the consequences that would have brought to Europe and the world.

Just as actions have consequences, inaction also has consequences. The folly of allowing Slobodan Milosevic to go on undeterred reminds me of the adage about making a deal with a crocodile: "Leave me alone and I'll eat you last." The United States, Canada and our 17 European allies must win this war. Yes, this is a war. To dance around this and call it anything else misrepresents and demeans the reality and the seriousness of the effort. The only acceptable exit strategy is victory -- a victory whose terms are defined by NATO, not dictated by a tyrant. Peace cannot exist in a Europe where genocide is tolerated. We have to have the will and the vision to work our way through this, and to do so we must not foreclose on any options. We must be prepared to do what is necessary to achieve our objectives and ensure victory, including the option of ground troops. The most likely path to peace is in convincing Milosevic of our intention to prevail. If we show weakness or fail, then our adversaries around the world -- Iraq, North Korea, terrorist groups -- will challenge us in other areas at other times. Winning the war will stop the rolling genocide and Europe's largest displacement of people since World War II. Then comes the difficult challenge of putting people's lives back together and instituting a political settlement. Make no mistake, each step is full of immense risk and uncertainty. Stopping tyrants and fighting wars do not come tied up in neat, antiseptic little packages. Wars are ugly. But the consequences of not having the courage to do the right thing are worse. The Balkans war is providing us with a prelude to the 21st century dynamics of policy-making. We are seeing a glimpse of the future. The challenges -- for America, NATO and the civilized world -- will be dealing with situations such as this crisis. To this end, we must prepare our force structure, our intelligence gathering and our thinking to address these new challenges. The key element when addressing these threats and challenges is principled, courageous, unwavering leadership. For better or worse, the immediacy and graphic impact of television coverage have brought the world -- with all its glories and horrors -- into our living rooms in real time. This medium, coupled with talk shows, polling data and the Internet, has kept us more informed and shaped public opinion. But solid, well-defined, insightful policy-making does not occur through polling or televised town hall meetings. Strong leadership has no substitute. The president must educate and inform the public. He must use his political capital to convince Congress and the American people that his policy is a wise policy. Without leadership, it will be difficult for America to sustain a credible foreign policy. This is one clear lesson from the situation in Yugoslavia. We do not know what the outcome will be of our efforts in the Balkans. But peace and stability will have no future in Europe if this situation is allowed to continue to burn out of control. There is a butcher in the backyard of NATO. The United States and our NATO allies have committed ourselves to stopping him. History will judge us harshly if we fail.

The writer is a Republican senator from Nebraska.