Madam, - The case against military action by the UN in the former Rhodesian colony, Zimbabwe, is well made by Jamie Donnelly (July 5th). It is based on the simple J.S. Mill principle of liberty: power must be exercised over another country only when that nation is a threat to others.
Apart from humanitarian intervention, the only other action appropriate for Zimbabwe is international sanctions - which were exercised and proved effective against the white minority government of Ian Smith, 1966.
It is about time that African leaders learned the central requirement of political stability: the orderly, peaceful transfer of power in the interests of the governed. Without this resolve, African nationhood, so often characterised by single-party rule, becomes a sad parody of itself.
Nor must we forget the legacy of 80 years of European colonial rule. African leaders, like Mugabe, reproduce the worst aspects of colonial rule - mismanagement, power-hunger and elitism. - Yours, etc,
JOHN F. FALLON, Boyle, Co Roscommon.