Dautovic: The 1999 intervention served as a (re)founding myth for NATO

International relations expert Mirko Dautovic told Kosovo Online that the Western Balkans played a "backstage role" at the Washington Summit, where the 1999 bombing was presented as a glorious period for NATO and a model for what the Alliance should do in the future.

He says that regarding the Western Balkans, KFOR is mentioned in the 31st point of the Washington communiqué, "but it obviously doesn't warrant much attention."

"This doesn't mean it isn't important. For example, the war in Gaza wasn't mentioned at all. Throughout the entire Washington Summit, no one talked about what is happening in Gaza. It's clearly important, but the solution is not to talk about it," Dautovic notes.

According to him, the Western Balkans played a backstage role in the media and in President Biden's speech at the opening of the Washington Summit, where the "1999 intervention was taken as a glorious period for NATO, when NATO prevented genocide in Kosovo," and it was presented as a model for what NATO should do in the future.

"And Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti published an op-ed in the New York Times, on the front page, and appeared with General Wesley Clark on Christiane Amanpour's show, where they actually used that 1999 year. This completely repackaged what happened in history, but you can see that it served as a founding myth. So, all these organizations have a founding myth, and this is a refounding myth," our interlocutor states.

He assesses that the messages to Ukraine from the summit were full of support, "but mild support," and reminds that Ukraine was already promised NATO membership in 2008, at the Bucharest Summit.

"Now the word 'irreversible' has just been added to Ukraine's path to NATO, which is essentially just a strong diplomatic term that means nothing. So, you only need to strengthen the message, but there is no effect. Ukraine is not a NATO member and will not be able to become a NATO member until the war with Russia is over. Since that is not in sight, there's nothing to it," Dautovic states.

Regarding the messages to China, he notes that there may have been slightly stronger words, "but in the end, there are no consequences there either." Beijing was accused of contributing to the continuation of the war by supplying weapons to Russia, "but why wasn't India, which also participates in prolonging the war by reselling Russian oil, condemned in the same way?" our interlocutor asks, reminding that India is an ally of the US in the fight against China.

The presence of four Pacific countries at the summit - Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia - was not so expected.

"In this, I see the idea that NATO will at some point expand to the Pacific, in order to build an alliance that can counter the Eurasian alliance of China, Iran, and Russia, and that these are now some narratives that Washington and NATO countries are trying to present to the world - that we are returning to the Cold War era when we have two blocs," he notes.

He emphasizes that the hotspot in Ukraine is not the focus of the US and that "its loss or gain means nothing to America."

"The loss of Taiwan, South Korea, Japan - that is dangerous. Losing control over the Malacca Strait, Singapore, where all the goods from the Middle East, Europe, and India to the Pacific pass through. This is the center of economic activities, and it is returning to Asia. So, India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, where it was 500 years ago, so it is clear - in this shift of American attention - that they are fully aware of where the real danger is for the current system under American hegemony," says Dautovic.

He reminds us that Ukraine has been provided with a financial mechanism of 40 billion euros, which will ensure that Ukraine no longer depends on votes in the US Congress, the French or Dutch parliaments, as there will be a fund from which Ukraine will be able to draw money all the time.