[PEN-L:6241] Re: Why Nato needs to destroy Serbia

[Doug Henwood <dhenwood@xxxxxxxxx>]

Louis Proyect wrote:

>>I don't quite get the connection here between economic stagnation in
>>Western Europe and bombing Belgrade. What do you think it is?
>>
>>Doug
>
>Final paragraphs of Sean Gervasi's "Why Nato is in Yugoslavia", at:
>http://www.mclink.it/assoc/fondpasti/nato/gerv-e.htm

I'm still mystified about the connection between Eurostagnation - which is
in large part a creation of policymakers, who've imposed tight money and
tight budgets to make the Euro hard and to break European labor - and
cruise missiles. And this:

>Both Western Europe and North America have experienced a prolonged economic
>stagnation.

just isn't an accurate description of the U.S. economy in 1999. Just this
morning, the BEA released their first estimate of first quarter growth -
4.5%, right in the middle of Sean's golden age range:

>In the 25 years after the second
>world war, most Western countries experienced rapid growth, on the order of
>4 and 5 per cent per year.

I buy the political analysis - suppressing recalcitrants in Eastern Europe
and preparing for a resurgent Russia - but I find the economic rationale
unconvincing.

Doug