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rather insular, ongoing conflict that is not amenable to a dashing interna–
tional assault? There's a certain resignation in what you are saying.
Slavenka Drakulic:
Well, I have to say that if the message that you get
is that this is an insular war and therefore I don't want America to inter–
vene, that goes against everything I have ever written, which says, "We
are as you are, and something should be done about that." So it's not
insular. I see it as a European problem. Europe should be first to engage
in solving this problem. But the problem with Europe is it thinks it's not
part of Europe. So I think it's very important for America to do
something, but not on its own. What I think should be done at this point
is to find a principled solution for this kind of problem. What I
understand is meant by intervention would be the bombing of certain
strategic targets in Bosnia - Serbian supply lines and so on. This for me is
not the solution. I think the solution should be more complete and more
principled, and therefore I don't worry so much about "intervention yes
or no," but "is this something that is going to contribute to the principal
solution of the problem, which is in the first place a European problem?"
What I'm saying is: bombing is not enough per se. Ground troops are
necessary. This is what I understand from the analyses I have read.
Because this is a European problem and because this is a problem of
principle, we should find, fight for, a principled solution at this point. It's
not enough to speak only about intervention. This is the only action that
I see as essential to take, apart from stopping the slaughter.
Joanna Rose:
You said that it is not for humanistic purposes that
America would go to Bosnia. I have to defend my country. There is no
other reason we would enter this situation except for humanistic
purposes, because it is against every other interest of ours to enter for any
other reason.
Slavenka Drakulic:
But you are not entering it. I would love America
to go in for purely humanistic reasons. Great! But it hasn't happened.
Edith Kurzweil:
Let me interject some kind of explanation, something
that I have watched for many, many years going back and forth between
here and Europe. Americans are always, as Joanna Rose said, involved in
the humanistic principle; ever since Wilson, they've been "making the
world safe for democracy." Every time I've gone to Europe I've heard
that America has intervened here and there because it has some
imperialistic ends in mind, and this is a kind of clash of opinions, of
principles, that is not understood from one side to the other, and we then
continue it here in a national discussion.
