Little battered brutal Serbia may not turn and, even if it did, could not hurt mighty Nato. But the world is not so small. The combination of Nato's hi-tech firepower with the limitless possibilities for humanitarian intervention in our imperfect world sets alarm bells ringing. Unlike national interest, humanitarian intervention knows no natural limits. At times the Prime Minister's visionary language suggests that he supports Nato becoming a sort of Church Militant sending out armed missionaries to restore peace and justice globally.
Western leaders assume that their humanitarian instincts are shared by the rest of humanity.
Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Perhaps because most of the world is still ruled by tyrants or only recently escaped from ideologically driven dictatorships, great swathes of humanity regard high-flown rhetoric with a jaundiced eye. Modern global communications mean that what would in the past have been a terrible but local Balkan tragedy has become a universal event. But one whose meaning is not universally agreed by any means. For every voice applauding Nato's action there are at least as many decrying it as American imperialism.