At least you have the intellectual honesty not to even pretend that this bombing was justified as a defensive move by NATO or that Milosovic represented any threat to any NATO country.
You and I have a simple difference of philosophy.
You believe, if I hear your right, that when there is great evil in the world, the U.S. and/or NATO (you've never mentioned the U.N.) has not only the right but the obligation, whenever possible, to take responsibity for using its military power to obliterate those who create and perpetuate that evil. You believe, I think, that that will make the world a better and safer place for innocent people to live their lives in peace,
I believe that even in the face of great evil, the law is the great principle which protects both those who commit evil and the victims of evil. That if we throw away the law when it doesn't serve our interest, we diminish the rights of all people of the world to a safe and secure future by denying them the protection of the laws and teaching evil people that fundamentally we don't believe in the rule of law. While the law cannot and does not prevent all evil, it is still the single bulwark of freedom, and when it is breached in one place, freedom in all places is threatened. I further believe that when we teach the world that we believe it is morally acceptable to attack a soverign nation militarily--to declare war--because we disapprove of the way in which that nation treats its citizens within its borders, we open a dangerous chasm which will engulf not only our present enemy but, quite possibly, ourselves. We will not always be the dominant military force in the world. That is a mistake many nations have made over time, and every nation has been wrong about. (Read "The rise and fall of the great powers. I think that's the exact title.) We will be wrong about it, too. When our power and empire ebb and others flow, we will deeply regret that we established such a principle which other nations can use as justification for their chosen invasions.
The short term rewards of this war may be to stop SM and drive him from power. We may even be able to try and imprison or execute him.
The long term costs, though, will be a dramatic increase in human misery, the continuation of a six hundred year old conflict as soon as our backs are turned, with a new Slav leader, new determination, and even greater bitterness and hatred, probably reprisals against the U.S. and its citizens, and, most important of all, a more dangerous world to leave to our children.
Although I fundamentally disagree with you, I have appreciated your willingness to debate these issues without falling into namecalling or invective.
If I have misstated or misunderstood your position, I apologize, and welcome correction. I have honestly tried to represent your position fairly. If I have failed, it is not through ill will or any wish to belittle your beliefs. |
