Waco and it's relevance
At the time, we living in post-Yugoslavia had a much more pressing concerns closer at home, so we just noted the Siege of Waco as it was reported in the news cycle and promptly forgot about it.
But it was of event of tremendous importance , both for dynamics of US government dynamics toward law enforcement and treatment of it's citizens, and for the reaction of part of American society, as well as development of wider cultural skepticism of Federal government's intentions and practices, both of which are highly relevant today (tough not in the same way, or from same quarters).
It is taken from granted that average US policeman is a not terribly competent, not very bright (no average policeman in the world is, but then no other country in the world actually discriminate against higher IQ police candidates) and are trigger happy bullies.
Even Milosevic's police, half of whom were corrupt thugs and common criminals who were given badges, who were best to be avoided if possible, didn't actually shoot people very often and without good reason.
But during the Cold War FBI managed to build a visage of professional, serious serious agency. Waco shattered this picture to pieces.
In itself the Siege is great encapsulation of worldview within American administration (any administration, irrespective of party affiliation), which treats both it's own citizens and foreign governments who don't meekly bow down as enemies to be crushed and maken example out of.
The series from 2018. illustrates this brilliantly. Habitual lying, criminal irresponsibility and propensity for illegal solutions, and lack of institutionalized responsibility actions, media complex which parrots the propaganda, treatment of citizens as enemies and law enforcement as warfighting, careerism and politics, blaming the victims, covering up the evidence and silencing of dissenters...It's the same institutional culture in FBI, ATF, CIA, NSA, Pentagon, and it doesn't matter who sits in a White House. Tough for the record major push for militarization of police force was done in the tame of Waco, during the Clinton's reign.
It doesn't matter what one may think of David Koresh, and I don't think anything remotely nice, just like about any other charismatic self-styled Messiah, but it 's not the point. He, as well as a rest of his commune was executed to make an example out of, just like Americans routinely vilify and try to make an example out of any foreign leader or country that don't do what is asked out of them.
Anyway, if you want to understand the inner workings of US government in short-see the series, I highly recommend it.