Peace is not possible in the Balkans until someone shows the Serbs that aggression will be costly--that is the heart of the matter, and that is why numerous cease-fires and peace plans have failed.

The It's-Not-Our-Business Argument: This can be heard from neo-isolationists across the political spectrum. In essence their argument is that the war in Bosnia is not of direct national concern to the United States. They claim American foreign policy should be solely an extension of American interests. Both moral and realpolitik angles can rebut this argument.

As the world's only superpower, the United States is the leader of the United Nations and NATO, two organizations involved in trying to solve the Bosnian war.

The aggression in Bosnia, a U.N.-recognized country, directly contradicts the charters of both these organizations, both in terms of human rights and national sovereignty.

It is not necessary to catalogue the atrocities to see the moral imperative for action. The U.S. has an obligation to exert its greatest efforts through these two bodies to stop the bloodshed, using military means if necessary.

To many "realists," this argument will reek of sentimental hogwash. To these jealous guardians of the national interest, the only moral obligation the U.S. has is to stay out of trouble.

Yet the longer Serbian aggression remains unchecked, the more likely it is that the U.S. will become involved in a wider conflict.

Most analysts recognize the danger of Serbian action in Kosovo or Macedonia triggering a wider regional war. If that does occur, U.S. interests will be threatened, and involvement will be a must. Today's "realism" is nothing but curmudgeonly short-sightedness.

Realizing the fallacies of arguments against intervention will not, however, make the path clear for military intervention. Many problems remain. Most importantly, Russia appears unwilling to support any Security Council Resolution authorizing force against Serbia, its traditional ally. Britain also appears to have serious reservations because of worries over the safety of its peacekeeping troops.

But before our leaders can tackle the formidable task of convincing the world community, they must unhitch themselves from the many misconceptions about the war in Bosnia.

President Clinton, it appears, is still dragging them around.

Our attitude makes ethnic hatreds a cause rather than a symptom.

The West has allowed the cost of aggression in Bosnia and Croatia to be pitifully low