NEWS TIP SHEET
Jeff Kopstein, associate professor of political science and director of Central and East European Studies at CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø, has lived in Eastern Europe for about five years and supports current NATO action. "What is happening in Kosovo is a humanitarian disaster," he says. "We (the U.S.) have the money, the wherewithal and the moral authority to take action." He can discuss just about any aspect of the situation, including history and regional politics. Kopstein can be reached at his office at 303-492-7138 or at home, 303-258-9186.
Padraic Kenney, assistant professor of history, can address history and politics in Kosovo and Eastern European history and politics. He is president of a Â鶹¹ÙÍø-based peace group called Bosnian International Community, which promotes contacts between academics in Mostar, Bosnia, and professors at CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø. He supports U.S. involvement in Kosovo but does not support the bombing. Kenney spends time in Eastern Europe each year. He can be reached at his office at 303-492-5729 or at home, 303-499-7828.
Robert Pois, professor of history, has some interesting perspectives on Kosovo growing out of his expertise on Nazi Germany and World Wars I and II. Pois notes that, ironically, the Nazis were allied with the Croatians and were particularly vicious toward the Serbs during World War II. He also notes that the world has experienced much more palpable acts of genocide (of which there are varying definitions) than Kosovo since World War II, including Indonesia in 1965-66, Cambodia in the 1970s, Rwanda in 1994 and until fairly recently in East Timor. Pois favors NATO action but believes that it ultimately must send in ground troops and occupy the area. Pois can be reached at his office, 303-492-8501, or home, 303-449-1041.