We must support military action.

• Author: Klare, Michael
• Position: Bosnia - Cover Story

In every generation there is an event that defines the moral tenor of the time and sets the stage for the future course of human society. The German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938 was one of these; so was Hiroshima in 1945, and Vietnam in 1965. And now, in 1995, Bosnia is another such event. How that conflict evolves, and how the world community responds to it, will determine the sort of world we will inhabit in the century ahead.

Bosnia is such a history-defining event because it represents, in essence, an assault on the values of pluralism, internationalism, and civility by the forces of intolerance, xenophobia, and militarism. This is not, of course, a fight taking place in Bosnia alone--the same struggle is under way in Russia, India, the United States, and elsewhere. But it is in Bosnia where the fighting is most acute, and where the consequences of surrender (for the advocates of pluralism) are most horrendous.

If Sarajevo falls, or if the world community fails to resist further outbreaks of ethnic cleansing, the proponents of race hatred and fascism will be strengthened everywhere. They will understand that the major powers lack the will to oppose genocide, and so will seek fresh targets for their mercenary intentions.

Thus we all have a significant stake in the fate of Bosnia. If we do nothing, and allow the forces of extremism to prevail, we will imperil both our morality and our freedom (or that of our children). There can be no "neutral" position on Bosnia, just as there could be no neutral position on Hitler or Hiroshima.

Unfortunately, many in the American left and in the peace movement have attempted to deny this reality by engaging in formulaic debates about interventionism, U.N. peacekeeping, and American imperialism. Yes, U.N. intervention is risky and prone to abuse. And yes, America has a history of imperialistic interventions. These are good reasons for being wary of U.S. or U.N. intervention in Bosnia. But when mass slaghter of innocents is being conducted before our eyes, we cannot permit our (wholly legitimate) concerns over intervention to prevent us from trying to stop further crimes against humanity.

I believe that the world community--as a...