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THE KOSOVO CRISIS—THE MICRO REVIEW
action as the leading choice. This new policy conviction was mani-
fested in NATO’s activation order of October 13, which was a dramatic
shift in policy in the direction of military intervention.
Western Decision-Making and the Media
In the United States, the news of the Gornje Obrinje massacre, as
mentioned earlier, led to an emergency NSC meeting. This meeting,
according to several sources, was a key turning point in building sup-
port amongst the NSC for a more aggressive Kosovo policy. Albright,
who had previously been a lone advocate of military action, now had
a strengthened position in light of the recent images from the mas-
sacre. The presence of the images placed NSC members who had pre-
viously not supported a military option in a difficult position, and
created an environment susceptible to policy change. According to
Richard Holbrooke, who specifically mentioned the role of media
images during the NSC meeting, “The [New York] Times sat in the
middle of the oak table in the middle of the situation room like a silent
witness of what was going on. And it was one of those rare times
where a photograph just kind of, that terrible photograph of that dead
person in that village was kind of a reminder of a reality and it had a
real effect on the dialogue.” 46 45 145
Hoolbrooke’s recollection was corroborated by Albright, who was
strengthened with renewed vigor in her position regarding Kosovo.
Describing the same meeting, she wrote in her memoirs,
On September 30, we held a meeting of the Principals Committee in
the White House Situation Room. On the table in front of us was a
photograph from that morning’s New York Times. In the center of the
photo was the image of a dead body, skeletal in appearance, mouth
open, seeming to issue a last silent cry. The body was one of eighteen
women, children and elderly awaiting burial in the Kosovo town of
Gornje Obrinje . . . That morning, as I looked at the photo and read
the accompanying story, I thought again of my vow not to allow a
repeat of the carnage we had witnessed in Bosnia. 47
When asked by a reporter about whether stories of the Gornje
Obrinje massacre were as bad as reported, she countered, “Its very
bad, and you can’t make up photographs.” 48 Sandy Berger also
acknowledged the significance of the Gornje Obrinje incident,
explaining that for the United States, the gruesome massacre
represented a breach in the “atrocities threshold.” 49