Victory by Accident

The resurgence of regional instability is an apparent manifestation of the post Cold-War era. Unlike during the Cold War period most of the instability is intra-state vice inter-state conflict in the post-Cold War period. Regional instability manifests itself in a wide range of behaviors: from small border disputes to ethnic conflict to violent acts of terrorism, and in some cases, wars for independence. The war in Kosovo is a case study of how devastating post-Cold War regional instability can be and how humanitarian crisis can lead to state sovereignty challenges and the introduction of force to resolve abusive human rights violations from dictatorial regimes. It also reveals the struggle in formulating policy around the issue of sovereignty and internal abuse of that sovereignty. Because of the rapid rise in regional instability, a cohesive mechanism is needed that helps prevent and resolve such crisis. The thesis this paper will explore the political and military dimensions of the Kosovo conflict. While NATO did secure a victory in Kosovo, victory was achieved largely by accident more than by design. It was highlighted by failed international agreements, diplomatic miscalculation, reluctant militaries, and constrained by local politics, both in Washington and across the Atlantic with our European allies.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.