In news clips and photos, these warriors appear as a mass of shouting faces or a gang of identical thugs behind sunglasses and ragtag uniforms. Governments and militaries tend to view them with the same lack of differentiation. Two weeks ago, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was embarrassed because the Albanian Kosovar rebels were regarded by American diplomats as a unified group that would respond according to Western logic. In Bosnia, we have treated hardened butchers and Balkan Beetle Baileys as if they were identical, failing to root out the men who will shatter any peace the day we leave. By reaching to understand the men behind the guns, we can take an initial step toward defeating them.
Warriors fall into distinct types, or social pools, as they have throughout history.
Some are much more dangerous than others. Some can be redeemed for productive lives. A hard core must be killed or imprisoned, if any peace is to endure. The first pool of warriors is drawn from the underclass of society. These are the followers, not the leaders.