Rethinking humanitarian intervention in Bosnia and Kosovo : lessons to be learnt

Abstract

This paper evaluates the policy and strategy of Western powers in their reaction to fundamental human rights infringements in Bosnia and Kosovo during the 1990s. The analysis shows that in the case of Bosnia the Western humanitarian response to a political and military conflict was by and large inadequate. On the other hand, NATO's intervention in Kosovo to end ethnic cleansing of Kosovar Albanians was legitimate, although the Alliance's air war was impeded by a flawed strategy. Both cases suggest that the outcome of intervention is a function of interveners' understanding of the causes of the conflict; the interveners' balancing of their means and ends; and the interveners' resolve to challenge oppressors and protect the victims. Ultimately, the long-term success of intervention depends on a positive conception of peace, and, consequently, the long-term commitment of the interveners to help rebuild societies in ways that will ensure against the recurrence of hostilities.