The last time NATO intervened from the air to protect suffering Muslim populations from atrocities – in 1999 over Kosovo – the actions were morally justifiable. As then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated at the time, “It is indeed tragic that diplomacy has failed, but there are times when the use of force may be legitimate for the pursuit of peace.”
This time around, NATO’s actions are both legitimate and unequivocally legal. They are undertaken for a humanitarian cause with no ounce of association with the Christian crusading of a bygone era. Critics of NATO’s intervention would do well to think again.
Dr. Brooke Smith-Windsor is Canada’s Senior National Representative at the NATO Defense College in Rome. The views expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily represent those of the Government of Canada or NATO.
