Recently, the Croatian government issued an angry statement saying that the continuation of NATO's air raids in Yugoslavia jeopardizes the Croatian economy: Thousands of Western tourists will cancel their bookings at the beach hotels on the spectacular Adriatic coast of Croatia and go to Spain or Morocco instead.
The Adriatic coast of Croatia is uncomfortably close to the area affected by the current bombing, and a misguided missile, a sleepy pilot or a confused computer can easily bring disaster to the territory of any neighbor of Yugoslavia. Loud and indignant, though entirely selfish, Croatia's protest is just one sign of the growing discontent and fear caused by NATO's controversial interference in the Balkans.
The leaders of the alliance have repeatedly expressed NATO's readiness to proceed with the bombing until it brings positive results. Yet, their statements look bizarre if not irresponsible when the bombing has only aggravated the situation in the area.