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If Europe, Russia, and international bodies such as the U.N. and NATO end up playing a more prominent role in Iraq's immediate future, all parties, including the United States, would do well to revisit the lessons learned during the U.S.-led war in Kosovo in 1999. As a confrontation over Kosovo's final push for independence looms, this book offers seminal insight into the negotiations that took place between the United States and Russia in an effort to set the terms for ending the conflict. This study in brinksmanship and deception is an essential background for anyone trying to understand Russia's uneasy relations with the West.America's relationship with Russia has become increasingly important as Washington has engaged Moscow as a critical, but often prickly, ally in the war on terror. From smoky late-night sessions at dachas outside of Moscow to meetings in the White House Situation Room, Norris captures the feel of a war that repeatedly threatened to spin out of control. He offers a vivid portrait of some of the larger-than-life characters involved in the conflict, including U.S. president Bill Clinton, General Wesley Clark, Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, and Russian president Boris Yeltsin. New information includes backstage efforts to open a direct negotiating channel between Milosevic and Washington at the height of the conflict. The book reaches a dramatic crescendo against the backdrop of the war's final days, when Russia unleashed a secret plan to push its forces into Kosovo, ahead of NATO peacekeepers.
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Collision Course
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Collision Course NATO, Russia, and Kosovo JOHN NORRIS FOREWORD BY STROBE TALBOTT
PRAEGER
Westport, Connecticut London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Norris, John. Collision course : NATO, Russia, and Kosovo / John Norris ; foreword by Strobe Talbott. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-275-98753-1 (alk. paper) 1. North Atlantic Treaty Organization—Armed Forces—Serbia and Montenegro— Kosovo (Serbia) 2. Bombing, Aerial—Serbia and Montenegro—Serbia. 3. Operation Allied Force, 1999. 4. Kosovo (Serbia)—History—Civil War, 1998-1999—Participation, Foreign. I. Talbott, Strobe. II. Title. DR2087.5.N67 2005 949.703—dc22 2005002147 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2005 by John Norris All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2005002147 ISBN: 0-275-98753-1 First published in 2005 Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.praeger.com Printed in the United States of America
@r The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my nieces and nephews: Ben, Caitlin, Joe, Adam, Anna, Joe IV, and James And to my love, Brenda
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Contents
ix
Foreword by Strobe Talbott Preface
XV
xix
Introduction
1
k
Misadventure
2
Picking Up the Pieces
25
a
The Shuttle Begins
57
*^ The Dog Days of Spring
83
5
An Empty Chair, Nothing Off the Table
121
S
On the Mountain
151
i Belgrade
181
H Breaking Through
207
S
Deception and Confrontation
237
20
A Creeping Coup?
269
11
The Aftermath
289
X2
Conclusion: Hard Lessons
303
B