Dana Priest

Welcome to Global Focus, Washingtonpost.com's weekly discussion of world events. Joining us online now is Dana Priest, the Post's Pentagon correspondent. Submit questions using the link below.

San Diego, CA: Ms. Priest:

Hopefully you can answer this question. What does Kosovo have to do with National Seucrity for the United
States? This is a European problem, let them solve it. For once let's not send our overdeployed, undermanned military in, and let Europe handle its own problems. I for one am sick of seeing our military bailing the Europeans out of their messes in that region.
Thank you.

Dana Priest: The President and his national security advisers have tried to make the argument that it is, in fact, in the US interest to be involved in Kosovo because the stability of Europe is central to overall NATO alliance and US stability. The Kosovo crisis could very well spill over to Montenegro, Albania and could effect the fragile peace in Bosnia, where thousands of US troops are still deployed. US official have insisted, however, that because it is in Europe, other NATO nations should bear the brunt of the military burden and they will if a peace implementation force is ever deployed. Brits, and French will have more troops there than we do and right now British planes are participating in air strikes.

Fairfax, VA: How would you explain the sudden turnabout of the congress in first denouncing the proposed US action in Kosovo, and then approving it with no explaination as to what had changed in the course of two days?

Dana Priest: Traditionally Congress has stood behind the president, any president, once military action begins. In doing this, they are standing squarely behind the military personnel who are putting their lives on the line and who may be looking to the U.S. for support in difficult moments. This is not to say that members of Congress have changed their minds about the wisedom of the policy. I don't believe they have.

bethesda, maryland: Does Clinton have an exit strategy?
What happens if air strikes are ineffective?

Dana Priest: This is the big missing piece. Notice, however, that officials are now saying the goal is not to force Milosevic to the bargaining table (which military action of course cannot do) but to "degrade" his military's ability to harm the Kosovars--same formulation as you see in Iraq. Pentagon officials are careful to point out that military actions cannot achieve political ends, it can only destroy things and people. But the administration is clearly using the strikes to soften him up, to make him change is mind. If he does not, the real question is when would the strike ends. We have no clear sense of this and many of the Pentagon officials I have spoken to this week don't have a good answer for that either. We really have not seen a situation like this before.

washington, dc: Is there a timeline as to when ground forces will be deployed?

Dana Priest: Ground forces are to be deployed only after Milosevic agrees to a peace accord, meaning that they will no go in fighting, but only to implement a peace. This could happened in a matter of weeks after the bombing, perhaps sooner, if Milosevic were to quickly sign on the dotted line.

Somewhere, USA: Sandy Berger is a trade lawyer, not a geo-political military strategist. Is there any counter-balancing professional voice in the WH or DoD who can point out the weaknesses in the current policy to the President? it appears that the Administration has insulated itself from all but Albright's highly theoretical point of view. The bombing may well not change the serb's mind. Is Clinton going to try to force the US to send ground forces, even without a treaty? Please say he isn't that crazy.

Dana Priest: At moments like this, I believe Clinton also listens careful to his military chiefs. And I believe he will be prohibited from sending in ground troops both by their counsel--they are very much opposed--and by members of Congress who are also opposed to sending ground troops into such a quagmire.

New York City, NY: The American public clearly does not understand the urgency of the situtation in Kosovo. The public's opinion is, police in the Middle East to keep oil prices down, but let eryone else handle their own problems when it comes to human lives. Do you think the Clinton Administration has clearly demonstrated the need for military intervention or does the American public simply not care.

Dana Priest: As a reporter who has covered the president on other issues, I have been surprised at the fact that they have done so little preparation and explanation. It has really only come about in the last few days. Perhaps that is an indication of how unsure they have been about the direction this would take.

Solomons, Maryland: How many different NATO Countries will participate in the Air Campaign? Will it be just the US, Britain and Germany, or will other Air Forces become involved as well?

Dana Priest: There are 14 countries involved in the operation but most of them are providing support--logistics, refuelers, cargo planes, etc. The vast majority of the planes that will be directly involved in the combat will be American, then British.

Sacramento, California: Who is harder to remove: Milosevic or Saddam?

Dana Priest: Unfortunately there are parallels. I would think that because Holbrooke was able to sit down with Milosevic just yesterday, that his whereabouts are something US officials have a better handle on. The Clinton administration has made the removal of Saddam Hussein one of the two goals of its policy, not so for Milosevic. The goal there is still just to degrade his military's abilities.

Towson, MD: Do you have a feel for the air defenses that will be defending the targets we will be attempting to hit?

How quickly will we change our policy when some of our service people are shot down?

Dana Priest: I did an entire article today on Serbia's air defense system and we have a nice graphic to go along with it. It is quite robost, in much better shape than in Iraq, and includes shoulder-fired missile launchers (manpads) and mobile SA-6s. It is also tied together, "integrated," in a way that is difficult to knock out, say Pentagon officials. Finally, one of their best air defense systems is mother nature. Lots of spring clouds. Military officials say they are expecting to lose some pilots, clearly preparing the public for this.

Smithfield Utah: In the conflict in Kosovow, which is basically a civil war, how did Clinton decide who are the good guys and who are the bad guys?

Dana Priest: History and recent actions. Kosovo had a measure of autonomy until mid-90s when Milosevic took it away. Also, while both sides have committed atrocities, the Serbs much more so. The people they are most concerned about are the civilians, who are largely ethnic Albanians.

baltimore, maryland: It seems to me that the 'lack'
of an exit plan is just the point. Military action is used to accomplish political goals. The question then, in this case, becomes 'will the US be willing to enter into ground combat should the air attack fail (and they have never really worked). Do you
believe that the US would enter into ground combat against the Serbs?

Dana Priest: Indeed, this is the box they are in. I don't believe Clinton is anywhere near willing to commit ground troops.

Washingtonpost.com: Well, that's all the time we have. Thanks to all who participated and thanks to Dana Priest, who joined us live from the Post's newsroom.

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