-----Original Message----- From: James K. Galbraith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: POST-KEYNESIAN THOUGHT <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wednesday, May 12, 1999 6:14 PM Subject: Concerning my brother Peter: Reply to Barkley >Barkley's remark concerning the role my brother Peter, then U.S. >Ambassador, played at the time of the Croatian sweep through the Krajina >deserves clarification, not through any fault of Barkley's but because >these complicated events are often distorted and simplified in hindsight. > >In fact, Peter waged a furious last-minute diplomatic effort to forestall >the Croatian sweep, and had reason to believe until near the very end that >he might succeed. His reason, well foreseen beforehand, was that the >subsequent depopulation of the Krajina would be the entirely predictable >outcome. When the Serb population did evacuate following the sweep, Peter >joined the convoy of refugees in order to publicize their situation and to >protect them from abuse by Croatian security forces along the way. This >earned him the epithet of "tractor diplomat" from Croatian President, >Franjo Tudjman, and turned him from hero to pariah in the Croatian press >overnight. > >It is also worth noting that in another section of Croatia, Eastern >Slavonia, a diplomatic solution was achieved after huge efforts, that left >most of the Serb population in place. It is by no means wholly successful, >but at least an improvement on the alternatives. Peter deserves more >recognition for this obscure and limited but important success than he has >been given. > >Those who saw Peter on the Lehrer News Hour last night also know that he >opposes the bombing of civilian and infrastructure targets outside of >Kosovo, which have no relation to any military or humanitarian objective >inside that province. > >James Galbraith. >***** >James K. Galbraith >LBJ School of Public Affairs >The University of Texas at Austin >Austin TX 78713 >Phone: 512-471-1244 (o) >Fax: 512-471-1835 (o) 512-480-0246 (h) >Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >See the UTIP web-site at http://utip.gov.utexas.edu/ >See the ECAAR web-site at http://www.ecaar.org/ >
