June 10, 2000 International Tribunal for U.S./NATO warcrimes in Yugoslavia
U.S. IMPERIALISM AND AGGRESSION
Jon Catalinotto
John Catalinotto is a journalist and researcher who has represented the International Action Center at tribunals in the U.S. and in Vienna and Belgrade, and at other anti-war meetings in Europe. He spoke on Washington's long-term plan to use NATO as world cops and how it shows the attack on Yugoslavia was premeditated, helping to prove a crime against peace.
Using evidence available to the public record I will demonstrate to the Tribunal that U.S. imperialist rivalry with the former colonial powers in Europe drove Washington to a premeditated aggression against Yugoslavia.
On March 8, 1992, the New York Times published excerpts from a 46-page "White Paper" leaked by Pentagon officials. This paper asserts the need for complete U.S. world domination in both political and military terms. It said and I quote: "Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival. ... First, the U.S. must show the leadership necessary to establish and protect a new order that holds the promise of convincing potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role…" These comments were aimed mainly at rival imperialist powers in Europe and at Japan.
Regarding Europe, the document continues: "It is of fundamental importance to preserve NATO as the primary instrument of Western defense and security."
Retired Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael J. Dugan drew some practical conclusions from this policy which were published an opinion piece for the New York Times nine months later (on Nov. 29, 1992) entitled "Operation Balkan Storm: Here’s a Plan." "A win in the Balkans would establish U.S. leadership in the post-Cold War world in a way that Operation Desert Storm never could." Dugan described a plan for a massive bombing war against Yugoslavia.
Then on November 28, 1998 the Times wrote that "A policy struggle stirs within NATO." This struggle was over U.S. plans to expand NATO’s use beyond Europe. Washington wanted NATO forces ready to intervene not only in the Balkans, not only against countries like Iraq or Iran in the Middle East, or Libya, Sudan or Congo in Africa--but against any attempt at a popular revolution anywhere, from Russia to Zimbabwe, and it wanted the other NATO powers to follow Washington’s lead. Washington also drew Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic into NATO over the objection of other NATO members. Washington launched the war against Yugoslavia and used that war to impose its changes on NATO.
By the time NATO celebrated its 50th anniversary in April 1999, it had changed from a no-longer-needed anti-Soviet alliance to a pact of predator nations ready to police the world for big business and the banks.
There are now new NATO bases in virtually every country and mini-state in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The neo-colonial regimes in the Balkans, the Baltic states and the countries of the former USSR are all begging to be admitted into NATO.
The brutal bombing of Yugoslavia gives the first example of how the U.S. rivalry with the other imperialist powers makes the world ever more dangerous for humanity.
The first step in fighting these new wars is to fight to abolish NATO.
back to schedule and presentations