Austrian Analysts: NATO Bombing of the FRY set a precedent and introduced the rule of force

Peace activists from Austria, Wilhelm Langthaler and David Stockinger, pointed out that the 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia set a precedent and led to the replacement of international law with the rule of force.

Stockinger told Kosovo Online that the NATO aggression against the FRY, contrary to international law, was a clear precedent—something that, 27 years later, is now acknowledged by many scholars.

“At that time, international law and the UN Charter were violated, as well as the principle of the inviolability of borders. There was no United Nations mandate for the bombing. This was a key event, a turning point, because it marked the moment when international law was replaced by the rule of force,” Stockinger emphasized.

He recalled that in 2003 another attack was carried out in violation of international law and without a UN mandate—this time against Iraq—and later against Libya. In the case of Libya, he noted, although a UN mandate existed, NATO significantly exceeded and abused that mandate.

“This was followed by Syria, and today Iran, which, as he says, has been subjected to unprovoked aggression.”

“Of course, there is also the war in Ukraine, where international law has likewise been violated, and that should be criticized, as should any other breach of law. But everything began in 1999 with the circumvention of international law and the UN Charter,” Stockinger stressed.

He also pointed out that it is hypocritical for those who undermined international law more than two decades ago to invoke it today.

He further recalled that NATO politicians, primarily Germany and the United States, justified the war against the FRY by citing a humanitarian catastrophe.

“There is no doubt that crimes were committed on all sides in Kosovo, but essentially it was about something else. This was used as a justification for a geopolitical war intended to establish a new world order in the Balkans,” Stockinger underlined.

He noted that NATO’s intervention did not resolve the open issues in the region but rather deepened the crisis.

“The NATO aggression against the FRY was only the beginning of the era of the American empire, which is now coming to an end. That attack was a significant event for the world,” emphasized Wilhelm Langthaler.

He added that as early as 1999 he had warned how dangerous U.S. hegemony was and that it would destabilize the entire world, potentially leading to a Third World War.

Langthaler stated that, in a certain sense, the Third World War has already begun, as the world is in an extremely dangerous situation.

“We have always said that Serbian and Yugoslav resistance laid the foundation for much more. I am convinced that today’s war is a consequence of the aggression against Yugoslavia,” Langthaler stressed.

He also pointed out that the United States had previously “camouflaged” its intentions with alleged justifications, as in the case of the FRY and Kosovo, where a humanitarian catastrophe was cited, whereas today even that is no longer the case.

“Today, even Donald Trump no longer does that, yet the motives remain the same—power, dominance, destruction, and the weakening of adversaries,” Langthaler concluded.