Claiborne Pell: “Lifting the arms embargo may seem like an easy, cost-free solution. Lifting the arms embargo may make us feel better…”

“Lifting the arms embargo may seem like an easy, cost-free solution. Lifting the arms embargo may make us feel better, but I believe it is bad policy that could yield disastrous results. The United States would be abrogating a U.N. Security Council resolution, setting a dangerous precedent which others could follow in breaking international embargoes such as those on Iraq and Libya. We would undermine our credibility as a trustworthy and responsible international partner and damage our relations in NATO, with Russia, and with other countries with troops on the ground in Bosnia. If we go it alone in lifting the arms embargo, we would take on a greater responsibility for the outcome of war. We could start down the slippery slope of greater U.S. engagement in the crisis. Lifting the arms embargo could have a terrible impact on the Bosnian people--leaving them vulnerable to further Siberian obstruction of humanitarian assistance and to brutal attack. Finally, lifting the arms embargo could upset the delicate peace process now underway.”