Lessons of Kosovo: The Environmental Impact of War

That '60s poster was right: war really isn't good for children and other living things. Women in one city in Serbia were told they should abort fetuses of less than nine weeks and delay getting pregnant for two years following the bombing of a local chemical plant and petroleum refinery, as dioxin levels soared 10,000 times above normal. In this fascinating video on the lasting effects of war, interviewees discuss the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam, depleted uranium in shells fired in the Gulf War (thought to be one cause of Gulf War Syndrome) and the bombing policy in Serbia. The coverage is well-balanced, with none of the interviewees taking simple "my country right or wrong" or "every tree is sacred" points of view. Because of the short time frame of the tape, topics such as contamination on military bases and nuclear fallout and waste are not touched upon, but teachers could easily use this as a starting point for discussion. There's also a $10 discount for ordering via the web: www.cdi.org/adm/enviro. Highly recommended. Other titles in the 12-volume Lessons of Kosovo series include Kosovo: NATO's Mid-life Crisis, The Pentagon's Casualty Phobia and Where Is the United Nations? Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)