Zivadin Jovanovic
President of the Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals              Kathmandu, July 23, 2012.

The World of today is undergoing profound changes. The most distinct one is the process of ending of uni-pollar and the beginning of multi-pollar world order. Such inevitable development is resisted by, among other means, by frequent military interventions violating the basic principles of International Law. Faced with the growing financial, economic, social and political crisis, developed part of the world, in fact, most of the western hemisphere, is trying to redirect the burden of the crisis to the less developed countries, especially to the ones reach in oil, natural gas and strategic minerals. International economic, trade and financial institutions, still under domination of the West, continue to serve the interest of privileged ones. The blatant interference in internal affairs of other countries, fragmentation of sovereign countries by force, military interventions, aggressions and threats by force (to Syria, Iran) have become the (dis)order of the day. Universal world organization - United Nations, particularly Security Council, continues to be ignored, abused, or bypassed. Minority of the world countries and their regional economic and military organizations have proclaimed themselves to be - “international community” claiming legitimacy beyond the system of UN.
Individual military interventions and aggressions during the past two decades do certainly differ from one case to the other. Yet, there are some essential characteristics common for all of them, beginning from destruction of SFR of Yugoslavia (1991-1995), NATO 1999. aggression on FR Yugoslavia, to the NATO intervention in Libya 2011 and present threats to Syria, Iran and other countries perceived as disobedient. First, all those military interventions and aggressions, have been conducted by the governments of the most developed countries of the West with the leading role USA/NATO. Many of them have colonial history which has striking similarity with their nowadays behavior. In the past they pretended to have had educational, missionary role in Africa, Asia and America while today they also claim to have moral duty to expand democracy, human rights and other values of the western civilization. Thus, the doctrine of “humanitarian interventions” introduced by USA and accepted by European allies (EU), has served as universal cover for all military interventions in the past decades.
Second, real decision-making power, as a rule, has been and continues to be, in the hands of USA. NATO serves only as framework to involve European allies and, possibly, members of Partnership for Peace (PFP), mainly to convince American public that USA is not acting alone, as well as to secure military manpower and share the cost of the interventions. The most of American allies are presumed to be quite aware of the false justification of the military interventions but still remain in solidarity expecting economic and strategic benefits by sharing the conquest by certain order of priority. 
Third, USA/NATO military interventions are preceded by apparent diplomatic efforts which, as a pattern, have to appear fruitless and accusing for the regime in power as being irresponsible, inhumane and dictatorial. Some dramatic events, such as “massacre of civilians”, or “atrocities” (Markale - Bosnia; Rachak – Kosovo) serve as triggering for the beginning/aggression, without approval of UN SC. Aggression on Iraq (2003) and subsequent occupation of that country, were based on false accusation of possession of armaments for massive destruction. Launching criminal acts, ill intentions and disturbing events which directed mass media attribute to the targeted governments or leaders, is well known practice of aggressors. 
Fourth, NATO/USA military interventions are always followed by installing puppet regimes through “free, fair and democratic” elections, establishment of USA/NATO military bases and by shock reforms and privatizations being mere form for taking over major economic and natural resources by companies and individuals based in the aggressors’ countries. How far goes grabbing of the resources of occupied territories can be illustrated by the case of Serbian Province Kosovo and Metohija. Soon after the aggression ended, the key players in its preparation and execution appropriated the best chunks of the pillage. Number one advocate of bombing Serbia (FRY), former State Secretary, Madeleine Albright, Commander of Europe NATO Forces at the time of aggression, Gen. Wesley Clark, Head of the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission in the eve of aggression, William Walker, expressly became (co)owners of the most profitable telecommunication, mineral, energy and other attractive companies in the Province. What a proof of humanitarian motives!
Fifth, all NATO/USA military aggressions and occupations while justified in public by apparent protection of human rights (lives) of civilians, in reality, have caused enormous number of deaths suffering of civilians, children, women, elderly people, distraction of homes, industries, schools, hospitals, churches. What to say of “humanitarian” effects of missiles with depleted uranium causing deaths and deformations of newly born babies hundreds of years after military aggressions.
Sixth, USA/NATO military aggressions are preceded and accompanied by economic sanctions and destructive war propaganda directed by power centers, based mainly in USA and Great Britain. Part of that propaganda keeps American and European peoples in the belief that USA has a mission entrusted by Almighty God, to spread democracy and wellbeing throughout the Planet by all means, wars including. Such policy could hardly be termed but totalitarian.      
The concept of “humanitarian intervention” was first tested 1938, when Hitler, with consent of Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier occupied Sudeten Region of Czechoslovakia under pretext of protecting human rights of German national minority living there. It was repeated 61 year later in 1999, when USA/NATO launched aggression against Serbia (FR Yugoslavia) in order to, apparently, protect human rights of Albanian national minority. Let me recall, that this criminal act violated the UN Charter, OSCE Helsinki Final Document, all basic principles of the international law. It was contrary not only to NATO founding Act, but also to the constitutions of almost all NATO member countries. During 78 days of aggression more than 3.500 people were killed, more than 10.000 wounded, two thirds of whom were civilians. Today, 13 years after, people still continue to die from the consequences of depleted uranium and other non-permissible armaments used by aggressors (chemical warfare, cluster bombs). Material damage caused to Serbia (FRY) was estimated by over 100 billion of US dollars.
NATO and USA have abused UN to occupy and pillage the whole Province from Serbia. They are responsible for letting the purge of about 250.000 of Serbs and other non-Albanians from their ancestral homes, for letting destruction of 150 medieval Serbian monasteries and churches some of which have been on the UNESCO list of world heritage. NATO under UN umbrella continues to occupy Kosovo and Metohija even today. Leading members of NATO have recognized unilateral illegal secession of the Province in 2008, ignoring the UN SC resolution 1244(1999) which is guarantying sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia. They have resolved nothing, nor I believe, they ever wanted to help anybody there - be it Albanians, Serbia, the Balkans, or Europe. They simply wonted to occupy strategically important, natural resources reach part of Serbia, to install their troops there and expand military bases towards East, Caspian basin, Russia, Middle East and Central Asia. And they did exactly this. After the construction of the first USA “Bondstil” military base in Kosovo and Metohija in 2000, USA has opened three new military bases in Bulgaria, three in Romania, others in Hungary, Check Republic, Poland, Baltic Republics and so on. Anti-ballistic system has also been installed in Poland, Check Republic and Romania. According to mass media, other similar systems have been planned in Central Asia and Gulf region.
To conclude, let me say that, from our experience in the Balkan, there are no and there cannot be,  USA/NATO “humanitarian wars”, but only wars of conquest and pillage, wars for imperial domination. NATO aggression against Serbia (FRY) in 1999 was not “humanitarian” but imperial war of conquest. So have been wars in Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), and Libya (2011). Blatant foreign interference in the current conflict in Syria, arming of insurgents and threats by foreign military intervention, collaboration with terrorists are well known imperial methods. Purring of oil to the fire to justify foreign military intervention should be stopped forthwith and Syrian people permitted to decide freely and peacefully on their own future. There is no democracy and progress exported and imposed by bombers, tanks and rockets. NATO is a relic of the cold war era. There is no justification for its further existence, therefore it should be disbanded. Our Planet is not in need for military blocks, foreign military bases and armament, but in need for peace, freedom, and economic, social and cultural progress. That is why peace loving forces all over the globe should redouble their peace and solidarity efforts.