Research Areas:
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U.S. Foreign Policy During Clinton’s Presidency (1993-2001)
- Research the general principles that guided U.S. foreign policy under Clinton, especially regarding humanitarian interventions. This includes the notion of “selective engagement” and the administration’s broader priorities in foreign policy, which often emphasized diplomacy and multilateralism.
Key Sources:
- Books on U.S. foreign policy during Clinton’s presidency.
- Government documents and reports from the U.S. State Department, NSA, Presidential Papers, etc.
- Academic articles from international relations and political science journals (such as Foreign Affairs and International Security).
- Clinton’s memoir, My Life, and other biographical accounts of his presidency.
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The Rwandan Genocide (1994)
- To understand the context of humanitarian intervention, you should examine the genocide itself, the events leading up to it, and how the international community, particularly the U.S., responded (or failed to respond). Clinton has been criticized for his administration’s lack of military intervention during the genocide, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 800,000 people.
Key Sources:
- Samantha Power’s A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, which covers U.S. responses to genocides, including Rwanda.
- Reports from human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
- United Nations reports and testimony, such as those from General Roméo Dallaire, who was in charge of the UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda.
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Humanitarian Military Intervention: Theoretical Frameworks
- Investigate the theoretical foundations of humanitarian intervention, which often wrestles with the tension between state sovereignty and the international community’s moral responsibility to prevent mass atrocities.
Key Sources:
- The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine, which was later formalized by the United Nations in 2005 but can be traced back to the debates surrounding the failure to intervene in Rwanda and Bosnia.
- Legal analyses of international humanitarian law, especially the Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter, regarding when military intervention is justified.
- Academic works by authors like Michael Walzer (Just and Unjust Wars), and Richard Haass, which offer perspectives on the moral justification for military intervention.
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Post-Genocide Reflections and Clinton’s Apologies
- Clinton later admitted that his administration’s response to Rwanda was inadequate. Research into his public speeches and post-presidential reflections will shed light on his rationale and the lessons learned.
Key Sources:
- Clinton’s speeches, such as his 1998 visit to Rwanda, where he expressed regret for not intervening.
- Interviews, articles, and documentaries that reflect on U.S. inaction during the genocide.
Places to Find Sources:
- Academic Journals and Databases: JSTOR, ProQuest, Google Scholar, and academic libraries will provide access to peer-reviewed journal articles and research on humanitarian intervention.
- Books: University libraries and online bookstores will have biographies, policy analyses, and theoretical texts on U.S. foreign policy and humanitarian intervention.
- Government Documents: Declassified U.S. government documents, State Department cables, and reports from the National Security Council can provide insights into internal discussions. The Clinton Presidential Library also has an archive of documents from his administration.
- News Archives: Outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post covered the Rwandan Genocide extensively, providing contemporary accounts of the crisis and U.S. government responses.
By focusing on these areas and utilizing these sources, you’ll be able to construct a well-rounded analysis of the rationale (and lack thereof) behind humanitarian military intervention during Clinton’s presidency in relation to Rwanda.