In Bosnia the West waited far too long before intervening and a quarter of a million people paid the price with their lives. Thank goodness the lesson seems to have been learned, so that this time we are intervening earlier rather than later. Of course, it is a risky business and there will be a price to pay, but our politicians have made the right decision. They need and deserve our support.

NATO, which  is proving its continued value to us, needs to be developed as the military arm of the democratic world. We should give a lot of thought to how we can increase its strength, unity and democracy. I would much rather rely on NATO and the democracies that comprise it (Turkey should be told to change or leave) than on the United Nations, the majority of which are anything but democratic.