THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 10, 1995 TAG: 9511100019
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 30 lines
It is of utmost importance to do whatever is necessary to prevent the United States from sending 25,000 troops into Bosnia to ``enforce the peace.'' There is no peace there now and little hope for peace in the near future.
Our militarily inexperienced administration would believe that the recent U.S. air raids have prompted the Bosnian Serbs to come to their senses. It is more likely that they are using the ``truce'' to reposition and rearm. Future air strikes will run greater risks to our air crews against a more prepared foe.
The president unwisely and without consulting Congress made a commitment to send these troops and now says the United States will look bad, as world leader, to back off. How much worse it will be to send them and back out as attrition (death) occurs. Our only other choice then would be escalation.
Didn't we learn in Somalia that it is foolish to get into a struggle which goes back through centuries of hatred of one group for another?
WILLIAM J. RIGNEY
Norfolk, Oct. 15, 1995 by CNB