THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 7, 1995 TAG: 9510070010
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
The warring parties in the former Yugoslavia have agreed to a cease-fire beginning Oct. 10 followed by peace talks to begin Oct. 25 in Washington. The Associated Press announcement noted that the agreement to stop shooting and start talking ``came a day after NATO resumed attacks on Serb targets.'' Not a coincidence, perhaps.
After four years of brutality, any hope of a peaceful resolution is welcome. The Bush and Clinton administrations failed for too long to take a firm stand against the aggression and really engage the problem. The European Community was even more feckless. The United Nations wanted to act but didn't have a clue how to deal with vicious civil strife.
It was reasonable to fear a quagmire in Bosnia, and it can be argued that old hatreds had to burn themselves out before peace could be contemplated. But it is instructive that when the Bosnian Serbs got a taste of their own medicine, when NATO finally decided that there was a line that couldn't be crossed, when it became clear that a price would have to be paid for further aggression, peace became a viable option.
Of course, it's a long way from talk of a cease-fire to an actual peace that permits the peoples of the region to live in security. But President Clinton and Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke deserve full credit for seizing the opportunity to get the sides talking.
Perhaps they realized an important fact of post-Cold War life. We may no longer be eyeball-to-eyeball with another superpower, but we are still looked to for leadership in a troubled world. Neo-isolationists may wish we could turn our backs and live oblivious within our borders, but it isn't possible.
When the United States opts out, no other power rushes in. The United Nations is powerless, the European Community is a house divided, NATO is a useful tool but someone must wield it. If the United States doesn't lead, a vacuum is created and all manner of mischief is only too likely to fill it.
That doesn't mean we have to pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship to assure the success of liberty. We don't have to squander blood and treasure abroad if vital national interests aren't at stake. But we do have to take seriously our role in the world. When we don't, bad things can happen. When we do, there's at least a chance we can influence events for the better. by CNB