Letter: Send in the troops

Correlli Barnett
Monday 29 March 1999 23:02 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Sir: Anne McElvoy preaches at me for "petty selfishness" (Comment, 24 March) for arguing in the Daily Mail that the Nato attack on Yugoslavia, a sovereign state committing no aggression beyond its own borders, is a breach of the UN Charter and likewise of the North Atlantic Treaty. Does she think that morally condemning my article destroys the validity of its political and strategic analysis?

Since I wrote and she wrote, the course of events is proving sceptics like myself (who include an impressive array of retired military men and elder statesmen from Kissinger to Healey) to have been completely correct in our judgement that Nato's ill-thought-out policy, based on emotion and simplistic moralising, would lead to disaster. In particular, it has plunged the Kosovans, the objects of Nato's solicitude, into their present calamity.

Perhaps this experience will teach "Bomber" Blair and "Cruise" Clinton that state policy should be based on sense rather than sensibility.

CORRELLI BARNETT

East Carleton, Norfolk

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in