Letter: Realpolitik misses true interests

Lord Hylton
Thursday 31 December 1992 00:02 GMT
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: Correlli Barnett (letter, 29 December) tries to take a hard-

headed view of the interests of Western Europe. How many of those besieged in Sarajevo and other cities must die of hunger, cold, disease and shellfire before he would consider intervening? Would he welcome another million, mainly Muslim, refugees between now and Easter, and where would he accommodate them, given their unwillingness to live in Serbia, and Croatia's inability to receive more refugees? Is he unaware that the Middle Eastern powers say they will intervene with arms and volunteers, unless by 15 January the West protects the Bosnians effectively?

What effect will such Middle Eastern intervention have on Kosovo and the Sandjak, where the Muslim local majorities suffer repression of a loathsome kind at the hands of the ruling Serbs? The advocates of realpolitik have many questions to answer in our interdependent world, where the situation in Bosnia and neighbouring regions can have immediate repercussions on the Middle East and Africa, in both of which Europe has interests.

Yours faithfully,

HYLTON

House of Lords

London, SW1

29 December

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