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Fair enough, but the war in Bosnia was aggressively pursued by the Bosnian Serbs; they were the ones who were the greatest offenders, according to most reports, in the ethnic cleansing department; and we were desperate to bring the area some relief, so we allowed Krajina to go unchallenged. In that context, it was at least a defensible decision. In this context, we were trying to stop turmoil before it became ferocious, and trying to limit the impact of conflict on the entire Balkan region. I have several times noted the variety of reasons why some kind of intervention made sense, they are not all humanitarian. Anyway, let us suppose that the two cases were more similar (which I deny). In both cases, there would be arguments pro- and arguments con- intervention, and it would be a tough call with no clear answer. Therefore, if we said "no, I decline to intervene in this instance", and "yes, I will intervene in that instance", it is not hypocrisy, but an exercise of discretion given the indeterminacy of events..... |
