LETTERS War of words
Sir: Until I read Paul Johnson's piece (And another thing, 14 August) of apoplectic nonsense on Bosnia I had no idea that I was either a Greenham woman, a professor of peace studies, a tremulous Quaker octo- genarian, an atheist Anglican bishop or a CND groupie, simply because I favour halt- ing Greater Serb aggression in the Balkans. Mr Johnson obviously dislikes such people — that is his affair — but I do not see why we should abandon the Bosnian Muslims to their fate simply so that he can vent his spleen.
Mr Johnson pours scorn on the Indepen- dent's campaign to save Sarajevo, suggest- ing that the signatories should go out and risk their own lives.
Unfortunately, this kind of rhetoric has also become common in Mr Johnson's other organ, the Telegraph, where his name- sake Frank Johnson recently published an equally shallow piece with similar argu- ments.
This prompts me to make the following observation. I have a rather vivid recollec- tion of the views expressed by a large num- ber of The Spectator's and the Telegraph's commentators just before and during the Gulf war. Almost to a man they argued, rightly, that the war was winnable, and, again rightly, that the war was necessary.
I do not know how many of these writers fought in the Gulf war or have fought in previous wars. One suspects that the major- ity have not fought in any wars. But even if they had, what difference does it make to the justice of a cause one way or the other? Which wars has Mr Johnson fought in and which does/did he approve of? How many of his civilian colleagues would he debar from endorsing military action?
If the objection is that no British national interest is at stake, Mr Johnson should express himself in those terms. Similarly, if he is objecting to the feasibility or justice of a war in Bosnia, he should say so. What he should not do is indulge in trite rhetoric impugning the sincerity and physical courage of the signatories.
One suspects that few Spectator or Tele- graph commentators, possibly including himself, would survive the exacting stan- dards of Mr Johnson.
Brendan Simms
Christ Church, Oxford
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