I object to issues in “NATO should back off Yugoslavia before it’s too late” by Sarah Leonard. This column was filled with errors, misleading facts and weak arguments.

I’d like to dispute some points in the column. In regard to Russia, while I agree that relations have been strained, they are not as bad as she claims.

Russia is not going to do anything to irritate the international community. Their economy is in ruins and they need IMF funds. They’re relying on U.S. food relief. They cannot sustain their economy and their military simultaneously.

She states that “Russians have attacked the U.S. embassy as part of the biggest political protest since the fall of Communism.” This exaggerates events. It was three men in a jeep trying to fire a grenade launcher at the embassy. They came under swift attack by local police. They were captured, and President Yeltsin condemned the action.

The next problem is the mentioning of relations between Iraq and Yugoslavia. Are we supposed to feel bad because they both hate us? Because Iraq is siding with them, does that justify not taking action? So they exchange tactics; that is of little concern. Serbia has little to gain from them. Last time I checked, the U.S. and its allies gave Iraq a pasting.

You believe it is not the United State’s business to interfere with the affairs of a sovereign nation. I disagree. Thousands are being slaughtered in Kosovo. Ethnic Albanians are being purged from their homes and forced to flee into neighboring countries.

There are over 250,000 Kosovar refugees. This crisis is the biggest human rights violation since W.W. II. Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic has all but declared war on these people. He is a thug and no better than Hitler or Stalin.

You claim this battle has been going on for centuries, so anything done now is futile. Because this problem has been going on for a long time we should let innocent people be slaughtered?

You say it’s not our business. Right now, the U.S. is the strongest economic force in the world and the only superpower. Other countries look to us for leadership, and we must be a force for good.

We must stand up to Milosevic and refuse to tolerate these actions. Ethnic-cleansing is a good buzzword, but this is genocide. Milosevic purging ethnic Albanians from Kosovo like Hitler’s purge of the Jews.

Policing the world comes with being a superpower. Yes, human rights violations are occurring in Rwanda and China. We can’t solve every problem. We must choose battles we can win.

This is a NATO action supported by 18 other countries to prevent this region from erupting into chaos. It’s easy for Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania, Montenegro, Greece and Turkey to become involved. If this problem isn’t resolved, it will become something worse. By that time, it will cost more money and lives.

The point in this column which particularly angered me was about the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). While the KLA doesn’t have the cleanest record, they don’t come close to the atrocities of the Serb army.

The KLA doesn’t drag school teachers into the streets and execute them in front of their students. The KLA doesn’t cut out the eyes of Kosovar men and beat their heads in with rocks.

Your statement that the KLA is as evil as Milosevic himself is false. Your claim about the KLA being funded by heroin smuggling is outrageous. It is pure speculation. You use words like “under-investigated,” “allegations,” “probably” and “partially.” Those hardly sound like credible claims.

Your comments about media coverage of this crisis are off as well. True, the major networks are a bit biased and sensational, but credible sources offer an unbiased opinion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but an educated opinion is one that should be listened to.

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Paul Duncan

Transportation logistics

Freshman