NATO as peacekeeping force in KOSOVO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

NATO as peacekeeping force in KOSOVO - Essay Example Whether one likes it or not the presence of NATO forces in Kosovo is the harsh reality. Before that â€Å"the United States and its European partners sought to defer making difficult decisions, preferring instead to muddle through in the hope that somehow and someway a solution would present itself that would at once end the violence, provide a firm political basis for settlement, and avoid confronting the international community with a need to the massive force.† Its implications for the alliance and its future are full of uncertainties. â€Å"On March 24, 1999, NATO initiated Operation Allied Force as a means to compel Slobodan Milosevic to cease ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and to pull Serbian forces out of the disputed province. Although initially expected to last a few days, the operation did not conclude until June 10, 1999--78 days later--when Milosevic agreed to NATO's terms. Operation Allied Force marked a watershed in the Alliance's history and a significant departure from NATO's exclusive Cold-War focus on the defense of its members' borders.† Kosovo campaign opened new horizons for the Alliance, not in its designated operational objectives. NATO’s direction is to protect the overall interests of the countries that are signatories to the NATO treaty, but their subsequent brief touched the areas and objectives not anticipated earlier. They took in their stride the responsibility of crisis response and crisis management in the entire continent of Europe. Even when the territorial integrity and sovereignty.