Excepts of Plenary Session on War in Yugoslavia
Before you can do something you have to know something. As a college community we have a special responsibility to learn as much as we can about our nation's policies and problems, so that we can be led to make careful and thoughtful choices about our own responsibilities and actions. Especially in the current situation in Yugoslavia, the issues are deep, as are any potential solutions
-- President Nancy S. Dye
The ultimate goal [of the Western alliance's policy] is to build a multicultural Kosovo in which Serbs and Albanians can live together. The result: a complete breakdown of trust between Serbs and Albanians and the rise of extremism . . . . Serbs see most, if not all, Albanians as a hostile minority that provoked an intervention with the goal of dismembering their state. The Albanians see all Serbs as butchers of their people. On both sides we have volunteers, especially on the Albanian side, rushing for more arms. The result: elimination of the distinction between Milosevic and the Serbian people -- I don't understand how someone can bomb a country and say it's not directed against the people . . . . If it's directed against the regime then target the regime . . . . And the elimination of the distinction between Albanians and the Kosovo Liberation Army -- where are they going to go now? To which moderate camp? They can only go and grab a weapon.
-- Veljko Vujacic
I am not here as a spokesman for the Albanian-American ethnic community or for the Albanians in Kosovo . . . What you are about to hear are my personal views. Also, I am not speaking here on behalf of the Voice of America . . . . Where do we go now? I think there are two realistic options. One is to make a deal with Milosevic. There are indications of that . . . . But the end result would be that Milosevic would win again, ethnic cleansing would be legitimated, NATO would lose credibility, and the wrong message would be sent to other Milosevics out there. I'm not too concerned about NATO's credibility. What I'm concerned about is the impact on the Albanians, the Albanian nation, and the surrounding nations . . . . The other possible outcome, and less likely, is to reverse the ethnic cleansing and to recognize Kosovo's independence. I see no way that you could return these people to Kosovo and have them live under Serbia again.
-- Elez Biberaj
What can we do that would make a difference? Actions . . . represent one leg of a three-legged stool, the other two being education and reflection. Effective social-change movements of the past and present . . . have included a balance of all three dimensions. Acting without learning or reflecting is simply busy work. Learning with-out reflecting or acting is simply mental exercise. And reflecting without learning or acting is simply wishful dreaming. All three must be together . . . . A few years ago, President Clinton talked about building a bridge to the 21st century. That's hard to do when in the last year of the 20th century he is bombing them all in Yugoslavia . . . . It must be us, students and nonstudents, who build the bridge between the tragedies of today and the peace, justice, and reconciliation of tomorrow. Peace.
-- Greg Coleridge '81
A full transcript of the plenary session is available here.
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