War isn't just about bombs; it's also about words. And perhaps the most powerful one used so far has been the West's charge of "genocide."
At the beginning of the NATO campaign against Kosovo, Western politicians often used the term as a good way to whip up support for NATO's bombing campaign in Kosovo.
Secretary of Defense William Cohen put it particularly eloquently at a press conference on April 7: "[T]his is a fight for justice over genocide, for humanity over inhumanity, for democracy over despotism...."
Meahwhile, this week, after more than a month of bombing, the State Department released its first report on human-rights violations in Kosovo. The report, titled, "Erasing History: Ethnic Cleansing in Kosovo," documents mass expulsions, the looting and burning of villages, and the killing of over 3,000 civilians in just seven weeks. But noticeably absent from the 20-page document is any mention of genocide. Why?
Several officials interviewed by the MoJo Wire now acknowledge that the West has backed off claims of "genocide" because it is a legal term for a crime, just like "rape" or "murder," which shouldn't be used without supporting evidence.
One NATO official complained that early on in the conflict, politicians in particular were guilty of using the term loosely.
Government officials and human-rights organizations seem to agree that, until representatives from the International War Crimes Tribunal are allowed to enter Kosovo to gather evidence, accusations of genocide cannot be substantiated.
The State Department continues to claim it has "indicators of genocide," but refuses to use the term directly when describing events inside Kosovo. Asked to describe these "indicators," State Department Spokesperson Joe Johnson referred to the "Erasing History" report.
NATO, meanwhile, has backed away from the term completely. "Utilization of this term [genocide] has been avoided by NATO for some time now," said one official, "because it contains very specific legal ramifications."
Despite the newfound restraint of U.S. and NATO officials , the temptation to invoke the specter of Hitler in reference to Kosovo is difficult for politicians to resist. In Macedonia for a photo op with refugee children on Friday, First Lady Hillary Clinton said the refugees' suffering reminded her of "Schindler's List" and "Sophie's Choice." 
