An Unfortunate Accident

The accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was an unfortunate mistake. We are saddened by the unnecessary destruction of property and the civilian deaths that resulted from the incident.

It comes as no surprise that since the bombing our already delicate relations with China have been severely strained. Thousands of protestors have mobbed the U.S. embassy in Beijing; the Chinese have come to regard Milosevic as a hero, President Clinton as a tyrant and NATO as an aggressor.

NATO has reacted with a forthright apology and expression of "deep regret." This may not placate the Chinese, but given the circumstances, it is the best NATO can do. In times of war, such unintended mishaps are bound to occur. The inevitability of such incidents makes them no less tragic, but it is important not to inflate the significance of such events out of proportion.

Of course, while we insist that this whole episode must be taken in stride, we do acknowledge that such episodes would be more palatable if we had more confidence in NATO's operation overall. There are critical flaws in our strategy--if we can be said to have one at all.

We again call on the Administration to take stock of its approach to the conflict and articulate to the American public a clear vision for bringing about its successful resolution. Until it does, such emotionally volatile blunders as the embassy bombing will continue to exercise a dangerously disproportionate influence over the opinion of the American people and the international community.