After casually damning the current generation of Germans for the sins of their grandparents, arguably the most jarring of the parade of unsupported assertions so far, Johnstone pulls a fast one and comes dangerously close to making a sensible observation:
"For the first time, NATO abandoned its defensive posture and attacked a country that posed no threat to its member states, outside the NATO treaty area, and without seeking UN Security Council authorization."
The Kosovo War was the first time NATO had actually seen military action, and it certainly was not a defensive war. Given that the situtation in Kosovo, and its effects on Macedonia, were much an immediate concern of Greece might counter the arguement that no threat was being posed to a member state, but that admittedly would be stretching things a bit. So I'll grant this point.
However, NATO is a European military alliance; the wars in Yugoslavia were--or should have been--a European concern. The European Union lacked the military muscle to make viable threats against the Milosevic regime. The violent destruction of Yugoslavia was the first open war in Europe since World War II; one reason this was the first time NATO had taken military action was because it was the first opportunity to do so.
As for seeking authorization from the United Nations, this is also a valid point. Perhaps if Johnstone had even a fraction as much outrage at Belgrades actions against UN member states Croatia and Bosnia and Hercegovina, her concern might seem less cyncial and opportunistic.
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