April 18, 1999
The *FREE ARAB VOICE* (http://www.fav.net)
(Your Voice in a World where Money, Steel, and Fire have turned Justice Mute)

We have prided ourselves in the Free Arab Voice on not launching an issue unless we have something relevant to say.

But in this issue we feel particularly privileged for having been given by a reader

A SPECIAL CIA REPORT ON THE DESTABILIZATION OF THE
GOVERNMENT OF YUGOSLOVIA.

So we decided to share it with you.

Read and learn how the CIA (and the U.S. government):

1) bypasses the United Nations and international law,
2) gives itself free license to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign nations,
3) and enlists and funds local Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and political parties to achieve that purpose.

Then note how all this is done in cold blood. Not once in the report does the CIA pretend that its purpose is to protect Muslims in Kosovo or Bosnia, or any other ethnic group for the matter. In fact, we believe THOSE ARABS AND MUSLIMS WHO FIND THEMSELVES STANDING IN THE SAME TRENCHES WITH THE CIA AND THE PENTAGON, HAVE TO REEXAMINE VERY CAREFULLY WHERE THEY STAND. IS THIS WHERE YOU THINK

YOU SHOULD BE?!

Surely one should oppose ethnic cleansing whereever it is practiced in this violent world. But those Arabs and Muslims who rushed to issue a certificate of good behavior to the U.S. government for its bombardment of Yugoslavia, should be well-aware that the U.S. government is no defender of Islam or Muslims: should we forget the children of Iraq and the continuing siege on Iraq? Should we forget the vicious strikes on Sudan? Should we forget blind support for Zionist policies against Palestinians and the Lebanese? Should we forget the strikes on Lebanon and Libya? Should we forget putting Libya under siege for long years? Be aware that the support you give the U.S. government against Yugoslavia today will lend it credibility to strike again without U.N. sanction in Arab or Muslim lands tomorrow!

Surely one should oppose ethnic cleansing worldwide, whether in Yugoslavia, Indonesia, or Rwanda, whether against Muslims, Croats, or Serbs, but this battle is not at all about ethnic strife in Yugoslavia, even if that was the formal pretext. It is about the extension of U.S. government hegemony in international politics, at the expense of Russia and China, the peoples of the third world in general, and the Arab and Muslim peoples in particular. The vicious attacks on Yugoslavia, a country that is not an enemy of Palestinians or Arabs, by countries that have long records specifically against Palestinians and Arabs, is in fact a message of bad intentions to whomever it may concern that anyone who dares to disobey the dictates of Washington will be crushed, without mercy, without the semblance of U.N. cover, and without any regard for international law

Plus, isn't it interesting how it is mostly third world states that tried to present independent models of development, like Iraq and Yugoslavia, that are subjected to the most destruction?!

This battle is a warning bell that the era of unrestrained barbarism in international relations has commenced. The warning is to all those who reel beneath the burden of the New World Order from Cuba to Iraq, and from South Africa to Yugoslavia. It is high time the people of the world counter the globalization of barbarism with a humane global cooperation of their own. As capital, multinational corporations, the U.S. Airforce, and CIA plots increasingly trample on the borders of nation-states, we have to respond with:

PEOPLES OF THE WORLD UNITE!

Editor/ The
Free Arab Voice

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THE BALKAN INSTITUTE
(Uten garanti for at dette er et autentisk dokument)

Top Secret
[National Security Information: Unauthorized Disclosure Subject to Criminal Sanctions]

PROMOTING DEMOCRACY IN YUGOSLAVIA
-basic elements for financial support-

Washington, D.C.
December 16, 1998

The U.S. Government should increase sharply its support for democracy in Yugoslavia from the current level of $15 million to $35 million this fiscal year. This should be part of a broad diplomatic initiative aimed at developing alternatives to the authoritarian regime in Belgrade and broadening the West's range of contacts.

U.S. and European NGOs should be encouraged to increase their presence in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY); the USG should expand FRY private citizen participation in regional programs.
A primary focus should be development of a new generation of leaders who respect political pluralism, market reform, rule of law, and tolerance.

This effort should include a reinvigorated public affairs stance: the people of Yugoslavia deserve better than the current authoritarian regime.

The U.S. should lead its allies with a policy of strong, irreversible support for a democratic Serbia, as was done in the rest of Central and Eastern Europe.

FOCUS ON DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS:

Open Media $10 Million-
Extend the audience by providing needed infrastructure improvements as well as quality entertainment and information programming
Provide advice, technical support, and professional education
Fund legal protection and self-defense funds for persecuted journalists and media
Publicize cases of repression

Indigenous NGOs $ 5 Million-
Respond to local needs for NGO training
Fund Balkans regional networks of think tanks and media organizations
Form legal teams ready and willing to defend NGO's and media challenged in court
Seed multi-ethnic NGOs focused on crosscutting issues (e.g.: human rights, environment, economic development)
Promote NGO coalitions for self-defense against repression, appropriate electoral activity, and professional development (lawyers, journalists, teachers, academics)

Labor Unions $ 1 Million-
Promote union membership, including among retirees and the unemployed
Facilitate links to European union organizations and Yugoslav student organizations
Support repressed union leaders through self-defense funds and actions

Education $ 5 Million-
Assist alternative education networks
Support professors who have been fired for refusing to sign new contracts
Develop alternative teaching materials emphasizing democracy and conflict resolution

Independent Judiciary $ 1 Million-

Train judges in procedures that meet international standards
Support those who are fired or subjected to political pressures
Support a combined international/domestic trail monitoring program

Political Parties $10 Million-
Expand training of political parties in grassroots organizing
Promote consolidation of an opposition political bloc
Encourage coalitions of political parties with NGOs, which should undertake parallel non-partisan tasks: activate youth participation, voter education, and media monitoring
Develop the "second tier" of party leadership from provinces, municipal level, and from sectors not previously active as well as successor generation activities
Provide support to local governments in control of responsible opposition

Electoral Commissions $1 Million-
Train members in transparent administrative procedures
Fund tamper-resistant electoral technology
Support census/registration procedures

Youth Organizations $2 Million-
Promote democratic student organizations
Fund travel abroad for student leadership
Support study programs and internships in Europe and the U.S.

FORM AN INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT GROUP
Convene a donor group that would meet regularly to discuss priorities
Invite Yugoslav NGOs to participate in this group, and to comment on international programs
Set up an international advisory network to support democratic development
[End of CIA report]
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