By the same token, NATO has a lot more to worry about than Slobodan Milosevic. He is, despite everything he has done, a minor figure on the political scene. The Balkans are an unstable part of the world, but only to the extent that we let them be so. At any time, we could turn our backs on them and just say the hell with it, and our vital interests would survive intact. Not so when it comes to Russia and China.
Nobody knows for sure.
Russia and China are being forced by necessity to become more open societies, but the institutions to guide that process are still very much in their infancy. China is haunted by the massacre at Tienamin Square, while Russia tries to cope with a dysfunctional President and a dysfunctional Duma, as once again we are faced with an impeachment crisis, only this time the outcome is far less certain. In any case, whatever momentum was building for a Russian role in settling this matter, has been sidetracked for the moment. One is reminded of a line form a Clint Eastwood movies, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly . Eli Wallach's character, Tuco, is taking a bath when an old enemy walks in and gets the drop on him.