Potkraj 1980-ih godina tradicionalni američki pristup socijalističkoj Jugoslaviji, uvjetovan hladnoratovskim odnosima, nije više odgovarao novonastaloj realnosti. Koliko je američka politika prema SFRJ 1991. bila konfuzna i nejasna vidi se i po tome što je srpska strana optuživala Ameriku da razbija Jugoslaviju, dok je istodobno hrvatska strana bila mišljenja daje Americi u interesu opstanak Jugoslavije. Američka administracija ustvari je lavirala između hrvatskoga i slavenskoga nacionalizma na jednoj strani i velikosrpskoga hegemonizma u sprezi s komunističkom ideologijom armijskoga vrha na drugoj strani. Ono što je američka administracija previđala bila je činjenica daje demokratizacija SFRJ neizbježno vodila njezinom raspadu, jer je Titova Jugoslavija, kao i njena prethodnica Kraljevina Jugoslavija, mogla egzistirati jedino kao diktatura. Glede pitanja Jugoslavije nije moglo biti srednjega rješenja: izraz "demokratska Jugoslavija" bio je naprosto oksimoron.At the end of 1980 s the traditional American approach toward socialistic Yugoslavia, based on the Cold war relations, did not respond to a new situation any more. How much was the American policy toward Yugoslavia confused and unclear in 1991, it can clearly be seen in the fact that Serbian part was accusing USA for disintegrating Yugoslavia, meanwhile the Croatian side thought that it is of America\u27s interest that Yugoslavia survive. American administration held the position between Croatian and Slovenian nationalism on one side and Serbian hegemony combined with communist ideology of the military leaders on the other. The American administration foresaw the fact that democratic changes in Yugoslavia are going to lead to its disintegration, based on the fact that Yugoslavia in Tito\u27s period and Kraljevina Jugoslavija could only exist as a dictatorships. Regarding Yugoslavia issue there was no middle solution: expression democratic Yugoslavia was simply a contradiction
