Macedonia and Albania are more unstable than ever. And the equally embittered Albanians, now returning to a Kosovo that is still a province of Serbia, are unlikely ever to be willing to give up their struggle for independence. This is not peace but a prescription for continuing chaos and future wars throughout the region. Second, this war in Yugoslavia, where we have no interests, has undermined other, truly important American interests, including NATO's deterrent value and our relations with Russia and China. The answer is that strategic assets, such as military forces and military alliances, are much better possessed than used.
Nuclear weapons are one example.
NATO is another. That is, the reason NATO was successful in the Cold War is that it never had to fire a shot in anger. Now, by attacking Yugoslavia, a minor state that did not threaten its members, NATO has squandered its prestige, credibility and deterrent power. The secret of its incompetence to effectively wage this kind of war is out. Today, NATO is increasingly perceived by most of the rest of the world as an international bully, unwilling to risk casualties to its own forces while it mercilessly bombed the defenseless in the name of those it proved unable to defend.