Kosovo: International Reactions to NATO Air Strikes

Publication Date: April 1999

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: International relations

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Abstract:

In response to Serbian aggression in Kosovo, NATO began air operations against targets in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on March 24, 1999. This report reviews international reactions to that operation. Responses in eight NATO countries — France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom — which are key to the operation for either military and/or geopolitical reasons are discussed. The potential for the conflict in Kosovo to spill across international borders is considered to be high. Thus, this report considers the reaction to the NATO air strikes of the following non-NATO regional actors: Albania, Austria, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, and Slovenia. The strongest international opposition to the NATO operation has come from Russia and China. For this reason, U.N. Security Council approval has not been sought because both countries have veto power on the Council. Their reactions are discussed, together with a review of action in the United Nations on the crisis in Kosovo. Related CRS products include Kosovo and U.S. Policy, by Steven Woehrel and Julie Kim, CRS Issue Brief 98041; Kosovo-U.S. and Allied Military Operations, by Steve Bowman, CRS Issue Brief 10027; Kosovo: Issues and Options for U.S. Policy, by Steven Woehrel, CRS Short Report RS20125; Kosovo Conflict: Russian Responses and Implications for the United States, by James Nichol, CRS Long Report 30130; and Kosovo: Greek and Turkish Perspectives, by Carol Migdalovitz, CRS Short Report 20149. The report will be updated as events warrant.