Professor Ray Murphy:

It is. It would be one of my gravest reservations on embarking on a non-UN-approved military operation as part of an international force. How do you monitor and control what is happening and what other contingents are doing as a situation evolves? The reality in many instances, including with our European partners, is that they are driving a national agenda. They are not actually interested in the broad concept of peace and security. They often have particular national interests to protect. When we indirectly become party to a conflict, we certainly will jeopardise our so-called non-alignment and military neutrality. There is a real prospect of being embroiled, as a situation unfolds, in something much more serious than we anticipated in the first instance. There is an old military adage that goes something like a plan at battle only survives first contact with the enemy. You do not control the situation; you may think you do.