15th anniversary of Srebenica massacre

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Betonov

skybird is right, being able and not doing anything

That is not my point.

My point is that the West, NATO and the UN, and the Dutch, brought themselves into a position where they probably could have done nothing indeed.

Either you go in in force, or you don't. Either you give the troops you send the means they need to enforce their objectives, or you do not send them at all, and thus do not make any claims at all. Symbolism is no compensation for lacking ability.

Whether or not the Dutch could have achieved something by symbollically making a stand and challeniging the Serbs, forcing them to commit the massacre only at the price of opening fire at the UN blue helmets, is something different. Morally, as UN blue helmets, they would have had the moral obligation to do right that. Militarily, it was stupid to run the mission in a way where one depended on symbolical gestures.

I hate symbolical gestures. I hate them in politics. In military issues. In economis, in ecologics. I hate symbolical gestures for what they are: stupid meaningless idiotic pathetic theatralic symbolic gestures posturing without having a substance in themselves.

Remember that scene from the first Indiana Jones movie where Indy faces that sabre-swinging man, just draws his pistol and shoots him down? That'S how I think about pathos, boasting and symbolics: shooting it down, and moving on and not wasting any more thought on this nonsense.