Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 22, 1993 TAG: 9306220361
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
A dangerous precedent is being established, one that portends similar scenarios and results in other parts of an unsettled world.
So-called peacekeeping troops are sure to be unsuccessful when sent to a place where there is no peace. And since they are not authorized to use force, they cannot become peacemaking troops. To deny Bosnians weapons to defend themselves because the level of violence would be increased is the ultimate expression of timidity and appeasement. The same logic could be used to condemn Poland for starting World War II. The very nerve of the Polish government for having the audacity to resist Hitler!
The United Nations is trying to do "something." They arrange for endless doomed truces, for food convoys into besieged cities when allowed by the Serbs, and for certified monitors to note war crimes (but no means to enforce any actions against the perpetrators). As The New Republic's June 7 issue pointed out, "All this helps sedate the world's conscience. It's a bit easier to sleep at night knowing that people aren't being raped or killed on an empty stomach . . . "
The detached attitude of the U.N. troops is assured since they represent governments that view the conflict with relative detachment. The purpose of any world policeman, security alliance or nation should be to punish aggressors to the degree that they will abandon their behavior. "Peacekeeping" doesn't do it! ROBERT H. PHILLIPS SR. MONETA
by CNB