Max Cleland: “it is my privilege to speak on the question of Kosovo and our military and political goals there. In working with my…”

“it is my privilege to speak on the question of Kosovo and our military and political goals there. In working with my staff to put together some background and understand the history of that region, I came across an interesting fact, because I value history. What is it Winston Churchill once said? How do you know where you are going unless you know where you have been? I find it fascinating, after 146 B.C., the Roman Republic was the world's only superpower--that sounds familiar--following the destruction of its long-time superpower rival, Carthage. This Roman triumph created a tremendous expansion of Roman territory, wealth, and influence and, not coincidentally, an expansion of Roman involvement in local conflicts far removed from Italy. One such intervention involved the Northern African kingdom of Numidia, where Rome became entangled in a seccession struggle in 112 B.C., with the Roman Senate declaring actually war against Jugurtha, the leading contender for the Numidian throne. What followed is fascinating. It is described in a book called the ``Anatomy of Error: Ancient Military Disasters and Their Lessons for Modern Strategists.'' I think there are some lessons here for us, particularly as we view Kosovo today. Viewed from a modern perspective, North Africa in the age of Jugurtha was in many ways Rome's Vietnam.”