The Reluctant Combatants

After being reluctant about taking up the problem at all, the United Nations General Assembly has reluctantly voted a mild, almost anemic resolution condemning--no, not even condemning--expressing "grave concern" over "reported" repressions in Tibet. The Communist Chinese, chastened by this stinging rebuke, will no doubt immediately withdraw their forces, and the bespectacled Dalai Lama will soon make a triumphal re-entry into Lhasa, with Life magazine on the scene to cover the event with the same breathless fervor it devoted to his "miraculous escape."

Reluctance to deal with the sticky questions posed by bullying and aggression characterized the League of Nations and eventually killed the organization when its impotence and indecision in the face of German, Italian, and Japanese actions became tragically evident. The U.N. began its career with the firm intention of avoiding the League's mistakes, and--with the aid of strong American leadership--responded quickly and effectively to dangerous situations in Korea and the Middle East.

But now, with the Administration too concerned with the "spirit of Camp David" and too reluctant to tip the boat, the U.N. has in turn been reluctant even to use strong language against palpable Chinese repression of the Tibetan revolt. Admittedly, there is a legal question of jurisdiction, just as there was, significantly, with the Sudetenland and Manchuria and Ethiopia.

A strong measure of condemnation would not force the Chinese out of Tibet, but it would at least maintain the ideals of the United Nations. After promisingly energetic stands in the Korean and Suez crises, the U.N. seems headed down the familiar road of reluctance that destroyed its predecessor.