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POWs, What a Move. What a brilliant ploy Milosevic has carried out. In a single move, he has successfully divided the public approval of the bombings in Yugoslavia. By evoking feelings of compassion in the public, he has converted the previously positive image of NATO into one of a monstrosity; he has possibly turned several opinions in his favor. Freeing the POWs will perhaps be looked at as one of the cleverest political moves in history. I was quite taken aback when I first heard that Milosevic had agreed to free the soldiers. Soon, though, the pieces began to fall into place like a jigsaw puzzle. It is now obvious to me what the true intention of this "gesture of goodwill" was. When a man that is accused of being responsible for the massacre of thousands of innocent people spontaneously sets three POWs you know that there is something brewing. These men were potential bargaining points, especially because, quoting President Clinton, "the United States takes care of it’s own." Mr. Milosevic successfully has now transferred the ball back to our court. My family is divided on this topic already. Apply this scenario to cities, then states, and then the country. The previous feeling of general support for the campaign will certainly be broken. The division this will cause is a desired side effect for Milosevic. However, if we step back, we must be thankful, no matter what the result, that the soldiers were not harmed and are now safe. For Jesse Jackson and the delegation that accompanied him, this was probably the biggest moment in their lives. Mr. Jackson accomplished what not even Primakov, the Prime Minister of Russia (a Yugoslavian "friend") could do. I can imagine the jubilation the members of the Delegation would have felt. Being present at such an event is a privilege, but knowing that you fueled what could be a change in the tide of this war, is something that is memorable. This achievement will be touted as the power of the diplomatic process. If the delegation feels like this, imagine what the soldiers would have felt. Imagine the anticipation, the worry, and the doubts. What a roller coaster ride this would have been for those three brave men. From the moment they were told they were to be freed to the moment they exited Yugoslavia, the insurmountable number of feelings that they would have felt are known only to a few. We must certainly be thankful that these soldiers have been successfully rescued, but we must not forget the mission that is at hand. Milosevic has made a gamble and we must see to it that this gamble of his does not pay. Date posted: May 02, 1999. What do you think
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