‘The Politics of War’ Examines the Legacy of Peter Jennings and His Coverage of the War in Iraq

By Tom Osborne

INTRODUCTION

This book, which will officially be released this fall, is about the decade I spent working with Peter Jennings, renowned ABC anchor of World News Tonight. It is written in fond memory of his generous and creative spirit, and about being a small part of his priceless and unforgettable work.

It is a snapshot of network broadcast journalism in the historic 1990’s; a celebration of Peter Jennings’ central role in reshaping ABC World News Tonight into an American network serious about world news. It is my hope that this book may be helpful to those who might be considering a career in journalism. If so, perhaps I am introducing Peter Jennings to you for the first time.

I have tried to convey his character, some of the wisdom behind his delivery of the news to America; how and why some stories were more important than others. One of the great gifts in my life was the opportunity to get to know Peter Jennings on a professional level that earned his trust, and on a personal level that underscored how important that trust was.

The invitation to work with Peter Jennings was the opportunity of a lifetime and one quickly put to the test. I was given and followed his lead in 1990 to the United Nations where I was immediately swept up in our coverage of Operation Desert Storm; the removal of Kuwait from the clutches of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. Desert Storm in Iraq led to a prolonged standoff. For the next ten years Iraq would be a story with which I lived and reported almost daily.

As the Iraqi elections draw near, news media from around the world descend into Baghdads International Zone. Here, Col John M. Murray, commander of the 1st Cavalry Divisions 3rd Brigade Combat Team, explains the current security situation to ABC World News Tonight anchor Peter Jennings and the role his brigade combat team will play in the Jan. 30 Iraqi national elections. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John Queen, 3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs)

Following the invasion of Desert Storm, Saddam Hussein, enjoyed his new found international notoriety of surviving the U.S. military and getting away with it, until suddenly he didn’t. He would ultimately clash with UN weapons inspectors leading to his own mortal crisis, followed by another in the West, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Bosnia’s bold May, 1992 declaration of independence from the former Yugoslavia drew immediate assault, exploding in horrors not seen since WWII. Peter Jennings in his reporting underscored the warnings I was hearing from diplomatic circles; it was all doom and gloom; almost unanimous among Security Council members. Bosnia as an Islamic state in the heart of Europe was unacceptable.

In the end, Bosnia, a haven of diversity, a small light of democracy was immediately suffocated in the darkness of Slobodan Milosevic. In his design for a Greater Serbia, diversity would be crushed and Bosnia would disappear. In his design, Srebrenica was expendable. I have spoken clearly in this book about the diplomatic tradeoffs I witnessed and heard, and specifically the treachery of Srebrenica.

During this critical period when crimes against humanity went unanswered, and the fate of Bosnia hung in the balance, a reliable source began to provide a steady flow of debates and details from closed- door deliberations of the Security Council. This was a constant source of guidance for my reports to the ABC Foreign Desk, and the World News Tonight “Rim,” where Peter Jennings spent the better part of his day among his writers, producers, and reporters.

Most importantly these confidential sources informed my daily reporting on the impending disaster of “UN Safe Havens. Considered one of the worst resolutions in UN history, Security Council Resolution 819 was easily perverted to justify the sacrifice of Srebrenica. In this account I have included my extensive interview with the principle authors of Security Council Resolution 819, April 16, 1993, and how it proved to be a death sentence for those who sought the safety it promised.

In July of 1995, standing amidst the worst massacre in European history since World War II, the United Nations itself was on trial for its failure to secure and protect UN Safe Havens. In the words of President Obama, the Srebrenica massacre was a “a stain on the collective conscience.”

Working on the other end of the phone with Peter Jennings was like riding along in a train, once you got on the train you were traveling at the speed of the train. It seemed with each story, from scripts to editing, Peter challenged everyone to accept responsibility beyond their normal capacity, their normal level of creativity. I know many who rose to this moment; a few who did not; fewer still who turned down the chance to be a part of Peter Jennings’ line- up for World News Tonight.

I followed Peter’s example of reaching out to get to know and understand the people I was covering; from the former Yugoslavia and Iraq; the stateless from broken countries coming to the United Nations for help; to listen to them, follow them, and tell their story. In the case of Bosnia this I did in concert with trusted diplomats, to whom I will introduce my readers further on. In my opinion they were the most important voices talking to America from the depths of the Bosnian genocide. It was from my discussions with them that inspired the title of this book: The Politics of War.

I want to thank Merle Saferstein, former Director of Education Outreach at the Holocaust Documentation and Education Center in Miami, Florida. As a fellow author, her advice and counsel was critical to finding my voice in this account. Her contribution as a colleague and friend began years ago when we shared our work with the Anne Frank Center in New York in association with the Anne Frank Foundation of the Netherlands.

I will always be grateful to my trusted friends of the UN Secretariat; UNTV, with special thanks to Ken McCaleb, former Senior Director UNTV, Executive Producer and cofounder of US World Report, and the artist responsible for the cover design of this book.

Finally, I want to thank Dr. David Kanervo, the editor of this book and co-author of our most recent book, Genocide for Beginners. In both works we have sought to address genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. In recent times with ever more frequency genocide and war crimes have become the tool of rogue states used to eliminate whole tribes and peoples, just because of who they were, and who they were not.

From the News Vault: Peter Jennings: Tribute to a Trailblazer