Force and diplomacy

An old debate about: the relationship between force and diplomacy has been rekindled by the experience of the Balkans during the 1990s. In Bosnia, the conclusion has often been drawn that the Dayton peace agreement resulted m ore-or-less directly in the use of air-power against Bosnian Serb positions Yet, this conclusion is wrong: the peace agreement for Bosnia was far more of a victory for diplomacy than a victory for force. In Kosovo, NATO's use of force failed in certain ways, succeeded in others, but left the basic i ssues of the conflict unresolved The limits of both diplomacy and force hav e been amply demonstrated. Diplomacy backed by force and fairness could hav e a greater chance of success. But if the use of force replaces the search for more enduring political solutions, the result may well do little more t han to complicate the search for solutions.