Mr Cook would, of course, prefer to see Mr Milosevic go. Indeed, he believes that sanctions must remain in place until that great event occurs. As with the bombing, the legal basis for Mr Cook's economic aggression is unclear. He is regularly called a dictator, but he is twice elected and has not indicated any wish to suspend the constitution, under which he stands down in 2001. Serb politics may be chaotic, but they are not moribund.
Freedom of speech is extreme and the press is free.
Mr Milosevic and his colleagues may be indicted for war crimes, but only a fool could see this as a helpful step towards early elections and exile. Sanctions have left the roads of Serbia empty of traffic, its airports desolate, its fuel stations closed and its formal economy in ruins. The mayors of Serbia's 36 cities met in Budapest last week to plead with Europe for relief, on the reasonable ground that every one of them is anti-Milosevic. Sanctions hurt them, but put added power in the hands of the regime. Foreign exchange and black market petrol are controlled by Mr Milosevic's mafia.