Quote:
Originally Posted by Pointman
1999 is pretty recent as those types of events don't exactly happen every year. But here's 2011 for you:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011...ntion_in_Libya
It's the same: some bloody dictator is doing some large scale crimes and horrors. NATO steps in and bomb his CAPITAL. Not military targets on Ukranian/Kosovan soil. The capital. Belgrade/Tripoli. They even accidentally bombed Chinese embassy
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit...sy_in_Belgrade
You can say they bombed "reluctantly". I guess you are right. Unfortunately, the blast is the same.
Sure you can pinpoint some differences, but it's naive to expect to have a recent situation that is EXACTLY the same. The only MEANINGFUL difference is that Putin has nukes. He's essentially Milosevic/Gaddafi with nukes. If it wasn't for his nukes, NATO would be bombing Moscow - not Russian military in Ukraine - by now. |
I can agree with you. The NATO missions in Kosovo and Libya stretched purpose for a defense treaty. I believe both those situations posed legitimate security concerns to NATO members and reasons for the missions were just, but they probably shouldn't have been NATO initiatives, but a coalition outside of the NATO framework. You can draw similarities to what is happening in Ukraine now.
But the nuclear weapon thing is a huge difference making the situations not even in the same ballpark.