It is important to understand that culture frames perspective. Reading interviews of Serbian soldiers and KLA soldiers truly highlighted the misunderstandings of the citizens on each side. The Serbian soldiers were acting on the commands to eliminate terrorists while the KLA were attempting to stop the slaughter. This brings to the forefront how much of a political war this was. The actions were not that of the people, but instead actions of the government driven by the thirst for power. The Serbian soldiers were merely a pawn to the government's actions. However, why would the Serbian soldiers trust Albanians over their own government? Coming from a culture of discrimination, they had no reason to believe what their government said was not true.
Reading interviews from each side truly highlights the differences in perspective of each member involved. The US saw the outcome as a success because it proved NATO's strength. The KLA saw the outcome as a victory because the slaughtering of Albanians was over. The Serbian soldiers saw it as an ultimate loss because Milosevic so easily signed over the lives they had lost, the ideals they were fighting for. Milosevic won either way because all he wanted was power and he was able to maintain it even after the NATO campaign. The war is part of the Balkan past and it also shapes the future because culture frames perception and perceptions lead to the opinions and actions of the future.
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