Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Kuperman, Alan J

Titel

THE LIMITS OF HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION: GENOCIDE IN RWANDA

Erscheinungsjahr

2001

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• An analysis of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda & the humanitarian military intervention that followed disclaims common myths, reveals the West's role in precipitating the violent civil war, & highlights difficulties involved in intervening in such situations once the killing has begun. The notion that early intervention could have prevented the genocide is discounted; it is argued that 75% of the Tutsi victims would have been killed even if the West had intervened immediately upon learning that nationwide genocide was underway. Intervention is a poor substitute for prevention, & it is emphasized that the West should pay more attention to deescalating the civil wars that promote ethnic violence. The Western tendency to support "freedom fighters" & denounce counterinsurgency campaigns often has the unintended consequence of increasing genocide & ethnic cleansing. Although humanitarian intervention as a policy tool is not ruled out, steps could be taken to increase its efficacy. It is hoped that pointing out the limitations of military options will not only promote debate about how to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian military intervention but also encourage new diplomatic efforts toward ethnically divided societies. 7 Tables, 6 Figures, 1 Appendix. J. Lindroth