Speaks Out

Published: Friday, April 9, 1999

Site Sponsor:

Speaks Out

April 9, 1999

Should the United States be involved in Kosovo?

Why or why not? If so, in what capacity?

"I have family in Serbia and talk to them every day on e-mail. I"m having to tell them what"s going on they wouldn"t have known about the refugees, for instance. The Serbian press doesn"t give out any information. The people just know they"re getting bombed by what their press is now calling the North American Terrorist Organization. Yes, I do think the United States and the international community has to be involved because the countries directly affected can"t handle it on their own."

Eloisa Klementich

Graduate student

Latin American urban planning

"The news media makes it seem like it"s just America involved, but it"s an international effort. And that"s what it should be; all countries need to be involved. So, as long as it remains an international consensus, and as long as Milosevic keeps refusing to back down, military action is necessary."

Andrew Keefe

Graduate student

Mechanical engineering

"I think we should be involved in a limited capacity like we are now, instead of a full-scale war. We should bring attention to Serbia that what it"s doing is wrong. I don"t think we"ll be able to solve the problem because that area has been at war forever that"s their way of life. But we still should continue involvement to show that war and ethnic cleansing should not be a normal way of life."

Ann Vu

Third-year

Microbiology and molecular genetics

"I feel our efforts should be maximized in Kosovo. But, personally, I think think there are many other human rights issues in the world that we should be involved in. It"s just that there"s been a public outcry over Kosovo in the international community. It"s very justified; I only wish there was more public outcry and international involvement around the world."

Andre Munoz

Office manager

ASUCLA textbooks

"I think we should be involved. Do I think bombing is sufficient? Probably not. But should the United States only get in conflicts they can win or conflicts where there"s a moral obligation to do so? I find it very difficult to stomach the United States fighting a war in Iraq over oil and yet doing nothing when we see a government"s wholesale slaughtering of entire ethnic groups."

Carla Thorson

Doctoral candidate

Political science

"My question is, why isn"t the U.N. involved more instead of just NATO? The U.N. is generally more peaceful and it"s international, whereas NATO is just European. But I do feel that these are necessary measures that NATO is taking against Yugoslavia. Something has to be done before it"s too late."

Serge Hauert

Graduate student

Mechanical engineering

Comments, feedback, problems?