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In 1999, UNICEF estimated that infant and
child mortality had more than doubled since the war. It largely
attributed this sharp reversal in mortality trends to malnutrition and
deteriorating health conditions caused by the war and ongoing sanctions.
It estimated that half a million more children died as a result. That's
5,200 children a month. [68]
[Bush H.W. Bush:] That ought to teach Saddam a lesson he won't soon
forget! -- Have a Nice War.
Bush's successor, Bill Clinton, not only kept up the sanctions, but also
continued to bomb Iraq regularly for 8 years.
And the U.S. war on Iraq was far from over.
Kosovo, 1999
In the late 1990s, after enduring years of abuse at the hands of a
Serbian-dominated Yugoslav government, Albanian rebels in Kosovo started
a war for secession. The U.S. usually does not support minority groups
demanding separation. But it all depends on whether the U.S. supports
the government of the country facing dismemberment. For instance, the
U.S. supports Kurdish separatists in Iraq and Iran, but across the
border in Turkey, a close ally, Washington has provided tons of arms to
crush the Kurds. With U.S. help, tens of thousands have been killed.
[69]
[U.S. General says:] Our policy is clear -- We support people fighting
for their freedom and oppose terrorist separatists. [75]
Because the Yogoslav strongman, Slobodan Milosevic, was being less than
cooperative with U.S. efforts to extend its influence in Eastern Europe,
breaking up Yugoslavia was a cause the U.S. could warm up to. The
Clinton Administration embraced the Kosovo Liberation Army, despite
their drug dealing, ethnic extremism and brutality. Following
established practice, the Administration issued an ultimatum the
Yugoslavs could not possibly accept. [70]
Here's the deal. First, NATO takes over Kosovo. Second NATO has free
access to all of Yugoslavia. Third, you help pay for the NATO-run
government. Sign here or we bomb you.
The NATO bombing turned an ugly but small-scale Yugoslav
counter-insurgency operation into a massive ethnic cleansing drive.
After the bombing began, Serbian soldiers and militia members began
driving hundreds of thousands of Albanians out of the country and killed
thousands of others. When the Albanians returned under NATO protection,
Serbian and Gypsy residents were driven out and killed. Ultimately, the
war served U.S. political objectives, while causing tremendous death and
suffering on all sides and greatly aggravating ethnic antagonisms. [71]
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