The decision to broaden the Western threat against rebel Serbs' aggression reflected a growing sense among the allies that the recent show of Western resolve may be succeeding.

Another casualty is respect for Western resolve.

Considering that reductions on this scale were dismissed as not "negotiable" six years ago, today's progress is a tribute to Western resolve.

Mr. Friedman suggests that "Western resolve and the courage of Russian democrats" brought down the Soviet Union, but in reality they only hastened its demise.

But he ruled out any delay longer than that, on the grounds that it would seem only to weaken Western resolve.

Facing Serbian skepticism of Western resolve, the State Department issued its toughest warnings yet in declaring that NATO stood ready to make good on its threat.

The sense is spreading that World War III is over without being fought, thanks to Soviet changes and Western resolve.

In the past, real or contrived splits have also served to obfuscate issues and weaken Western resolve in confronting the war.

The failure of Western resolve is chipping away at the credibility of the NATO-led mission in Bosnia.

The Bosnian Serbs have simply hunkered down, consolidating their gains and waiting before gradually testing Western resolve in stages, and finding it lacking.