NATO's War to Save Kosovo will be published in June by the Brookings Institution Press. One year after NATO's war against Serbia came to an abrupt and unexpected end, many of the lessons of that conflict have become clear. It is better to intervene early in a conflict than to wait until positions have hardened and become irreconcilable.
Coercive diplomacy requires a credible threat of force.
When using force, one should do so decisively to achieve clearly defined goals. Air power, though very potent today, still cannot itself guarantee victory in war. To avoid the mistakes of the past, it is important that policy makers and pundits alike learn the right lessons from the Kosovo war. Equally important, however, is the need to avoid learning the wrong lessons or accepting as fact explanations that upon closer examination turn out to be myths. Unfortunately, there now is a widespread acceptance of three myths regarding the cause, conduct, and consequences of NATO's war to save Kosovo.