Kosovo Crisis

The capture of the three servicemen by Serbian forces (April 1) is going to go down as one of the most mortifying and outrageously stupid events in U.S. history. Given our country’s humiliating and painful experience with hostages and POW scenarios, why would we allow NATO to position a handful of our young men along the border of a country that is being overrun by a bloodthirsty, genocidal army?

I can’t be the only person who knew that taking hostages by these maniacs was the most obvious move they could make to influence public opinion in the West. U.S. honor and its commitment to NATO will come into direct conflict with deep concern about the lives of these men. Obviously, being powerful does not necessarily require high intelligence.

JOHN JOHNSON

Calabasas

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With Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny M. Primakov in Belgrade (March 30), it’s time for some creative diplomacy to avoid further bloodshed:

* Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic allows Russian ground troops to occupy Kosovo as temporary surrogates, in place of NATO peacekeepers.

* As Milosevic gradually accepts the legitimacy and effectiveness of Russian peacekeepers, he withdraws his own Serbian ground forces and paramilitary units from Kosovo.

* Once Milosevic observes the practical stability and workability of the terms of the Rambouillet accord, with Russian peacekeepers, he formally accepts that accord and allows NATO peacekeepers to replace the Russian peacekeepers gradually, village by village.

The key is a gradual transition, providing maximum comfort levels.

FRANK AMOROSO

Santa Ana

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Kudos to Adam Garfinkle (“A U.S.-Russia Mission Could Pacify the Region,” Commentary, March 31) on showing us the light at the end of the Kosovo tunnel--and it’s not an oncoming train!

The old USSR kept a tight lid on the Balkans through Tito, and although I don’t condone Tito’s tactics there was much less killing and ethnic cleansing going on--at least that I ever heard about.

Garfinkle’s plan of joint U.S. and Russian pacification makes so much sense. Plus, it not only neutralizes that thug Milosevic, but it might even bring him to justice.

PAUL FULLER

Palm Desert

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We know this sounds crazy, but what if instead of spending over $1 billion continuing to bomb Serbians into doing something they haven’t been willing to do for centuries, the U.S. and NATO took half that amount, say $500 million, and invested it in a more evolved solution to the problem. What if half a billion dollars were used to house, feed and engage the Kosovo refugees and, in the process, systematically rebuild the economies of Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro.

Instead of sending NATO troops into Kosovo, let’s keep them at the borders to welcome ethnic Albanians and help them get a new start. And rather than diplomats organizing and administering this effort, why not involve Americans who are retired or willing to take a leave of absence and augment them with Peace Corps volunteers.

JIM and NIKKI WOOD

Newport Beach