A nation must think before it acts.
The US. decision to intervene in Somalia created nearly universal approbation among policy makers, analysts, and members of the media. American troops, acting under the authority of the U.N. Security Council, led the effort to ensure relief supplies were delivered to Somalis threatened by starvation and disease. In addition to easing the tremendous suffering caused by famine and civil war, proponents hoped, the mission would provide a model for handling future international crises. Representative John Lewis (Democrat of Georgia) typified that view: “The United Nations must restore order to Somalia. . . Somalia represents the type of problem the international community will face in this new world. I believe it is appropriate that these problems be solved collectively by the community of nations rather than by an individual country.“ If the organization is to succeed in this ambitious mission, many proponents of a Pax United Nations argue, it must be endowed with a military force capable of preventing or reversing such horrors as those that have occurred in Somalia. Former president Ronald Reagan, in a speech endorsing the idea of a standing U.N. Force, stated, “What I propose . . is nothing less than a human velvet glove backed by a steel fist of military force.“