Thanks for this. I can't believe I missed that Politico piece if not for you.
I am reminded of my own article from last summer, where I argued that Kosovo had ran out of usefulness for the West and it should settle affairs as well as it can before getting dropped. Kurti seems recalcitrant though and now Politico is exposing the whole thing as a failure. Are they attacking Kosovo, or the regime change profiteer class?
Anyway, here is my own, which I believe you read at the time:
Cheers Brad, you're a mensch! Politico has been pretty good on the Balkans lately. My general take is the US created a monster in Kosovo and simply have no clue how to rein it in. Too complex an issue for the imperial braintrust. "A quarrel in a faraway country, between people of whom we know nothing" - which they themselves caused. What a nightmare!
oh it was Politico Europe, I didn't think to check, I figured since it was about American failure it was from the US edition. That is a little less surprising. I have seen a fair amount of good Balkan coverage from them.
"began as a deeply personal pet project of Bill and Hillary Clinton..."
Much like the thriving success of Clinton Foundation in Haiti
"Initially, the highways were to span just over 100 kilometres, and cost €400 million. By the time of their completion two years later, they had been shrunk to just 77 kilometres, at a cost of €1 billion..."
If there were Olympic medals for war profiteering & contract fraud Bechtel would make Mark Spitz look like a slacker every 4 years since WWII. Nobody does corruption better than Washington Mafia and poster child is Bechtel and its emmisarry John McCone. Take a gander at the short history from <3 Spartacus Educational and it's a blueprint for our pay to play insider treason defrauding the taxpayers and laughing all the way to the bank. Trump's valuation a sad joke by comparison.
"After the war the “General Accounting Office told a House Merchant Marine Committee investigation that the company had made $44,000,000 on an investment of $100,000. The same committee a few months later complained that Mr McCone's company was “paid $2,500,000 by the government to take over a shipyard costing $25,000,000 and containing surplus material costing $14,000,000.”" https://spartacus-educational.com/JFKmccone.htm
Wow, we all knew Albright was a vituperative sociopath, but I had no idea she and the other neoliberal politicians were directly engaging in mafioso activities. It really shouldn’t be surprising, but this wasn’t considered a major story?
Can anyone recommend good books on the Yugoslavia wars? It’s a chapter in history I don’t understand particularly well, but I’m obviously looking for the real story as opposed to the mainstream received wisdom.
Michael Parenti's To Kill A Nation and Diana Johnstone's Fools' Crusade are well-worth reading, but flawed. I am tempted to write one of my own. Lots to come from me as we approach the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing.
Great article! Thank you so much for informing us about situation in the Balkans. And many thanks for all the hyperlinks - real a treasure of information (high-quality intelligence)!
Great piece. And noting for the record that the U.S. tried this template first on the Southern states after their invasion and destruction by the nascent Empire. What do you think funded the Gilded Age? Ex-Confederate soldiers and former slaves, joined in chains together to Capital and debt peonage.
It’s critical that this not become general knowledge.
Please accumulate your articles, essays, posts! We so desperately need them in book form. Your work is stunningly brave! Julian would be so glad. Let's get him freed to celebrate this kind of reporting once again. Mint Press too, Alan's deep dives too! You are changing the world by making it known! Huge gift.
Thanks for this. I can't believe I missed that Politico piece if not for you.
I am reminded of my own article from last summer, where I argued that Kosovo had ran out of usefulness for the West and it should settle affairs as well as it can before getting dropped. Kurti seems recalcitrant though and now Politico is exposing the whole thing as a failure. Are they attacking Kosovo, or the regime change profiteer class?
Anyway, here is my own, which I believe you read at the time:
https://www.thewaywardrabbler.com/p/the-end-of-kosovos-utility
PS I shared this on Twitter as I know those bastards still have you banned
Cheers Brad, you're a mensch! Politico has been pretty good on the Balkans lately. My general take is the US created a monster in Kosovo and simply have no clue how to rein it in. Too complex an issue for the imperial braintrust. "A quarrel in a faraway country, between people of whom we know nothing" - which they themselves caused. What a nightmare!
oh it was Politico Europe, I didn't think to check, I figured since it was about American failure it was from the US edition. That is a little less surprising. I have seen a fair amount of good Balkan coverage from them.
Putting up statues to Bill Clinton and the evil pig Madeleine Albright makes me want to vomit.
At least the statues are ugly, the Clinton one is obese and doesn't even look like him.
The only thing missing from Madeline Albright's "monument" is the eternal flame which will be burning her ass for...well...ETERNITY!
It's on the 'to do' list for many Serbs, believe!
"began as a deeply personal pet project of Bill and Hillary Clinton..."
Much like the thriving success of Clinton Foundation in Haiti
"Initially, the highways were to span just over 100 kilometres, and cost €400 million. By the time of their completion two years later, they had been shrunk to just 77 kilometres, at a cost of €1 billion..."
If there were Olympic medals for war profiteering & contract fraud Bechtel would make Mark Spitz look like a slacker every 4 years since WWII. Nobody does corruption better than Washington Mafia and poster child is Bechtel and its emmisarry John McCone. Take a gander at the short history from <3 Spartacus Educational and it's a blueprint for our pay to play insider treason defrauding the taxpayers and laughing all the way to the bank. Trump's valuation a sad joke by comparison.
"After the war the “General Accounting Office told a House Merchant Marine Committee investigation that the company had made $44,000,000 on an investment of $100,000. The same committee a few months later complained that Mr McCone's company was “paid $2,500,000 by the government to take over a shipyard costing $25,000,000 and containing surplus material costing $14,000,000.”" https://spartacus-educational.com/JFKmccone.htm
"If there were Olympic medals for war profiteering & contract fraud Bechtel would make Mark Spitz look like a slacker every 4 years since WWII"
Oscar-worthy!
Wow, we all knew Albright was a vituperative sociopath, but I had no idea she and the other neoliberal politicians were directly engaging in mafioso activities. It really shouldn’t be surprising, but this wasn’t considered a major story?
Imagine the USA and the world without the Clintons. They are evil, there is little doubt.
https://external-preview.redd.it/FwUuD3r0mCgaAWaFOmvrpGxFfjd4wxPChCc4b-u4RPM.jpg?auto=webp&s=0c5e56a6f0948d33c71cb8ea26924afb8a1de7b0
Excellent piece. "To be America's enemy is dangerous, to be it's ally, fatal". Dead Henry.
Thank you! Yes, a lot of people have found that out the hard way. Those who haven't will do eventually, one can only hope.
We'll know the GAE is toast when those two statues are torn down and smelted into something useful (or a statue of Putin).
Excellent Kit.
Thank you!
Can anyone recommend good books on the Yugoslavia wars? It’s a chapter in history I don’t understand particularly well, but I’m obviously looking for the real story as opposed to the mainstream received wisdom.
Could do worse than Ed Herman's monster four-part series on the dismantling of Yugoslavia - https://monthlyreview.org/2007/10/01/the-dismantling-of-yugoslavia/. Also, my own work on Bosnia - https://thegrayzone.com/2022/12/30/declassified-intelligence-files-bosnian-war/, https://thegrayzone.com/2023/12/27/mass-graves-britains-srebrenica/.
Michael Parenti's To Kill A Nation and Diana Johnstone's Fools' Crusade are well-worth reading, but flawed. I am tempted to write one of my own. Lots to come from me as we approach the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing.
Thank you sir!
Email me (kitklarenberg@protonmail.com) and I can send you the books!
we are so pfckd to all face this future of vultures vying to do the bidding of the silent coup killing life on earth
No mention of the Heroin trafficking facilitated by the Kosovar mafias under the umbrella provided them by US intelligence?
Great article! Thank you so much for informing us about situation in the Balkans. And many thanks for all the hyperlinks - real a treasure of information (high-quality intelligence)!
Great piece. And noting for the record that the U.S. tried this template first on the Southern states after their invasion and destruction by the nascent Empire. What do you think funded the Gilded Age? Ex-Confederate soldiers and former slaves, joined in chains together to Capital and debt peonage.
It’s critical that this not become general knowledge.
Please accumulate your articles, essays, posts! We so desperately need them in book form. Your work is stunningly brave! Julian would be so glad. Let's get him freed to celebrate this kind of reporting once again. Mint Press too, Alan's deep dives too! You are changing the world by making it known! Huge gift.