Pragmatism over principle
US intervention and burden shifting in Somalia, 1992–1993
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11157802 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stefano Recchia (0000-0002-4865-5757, University of Cambridge, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 341-365 |
| Publication date | 2020-04-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Strategic Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0140-2390 • E-ISSN: 1743-937X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/01402390.2018.1441712 |
| OpenAlex | W2789678843 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 19 |
The conventional wisdom about the 1992 US intervention in Somalia is that it was a quintessentially humanitarian mission pushed by President George H. W. Bush. This article challenges that interpretation, drawing on newly declassified documents. The Somalia intervention, I argue, was largely a pragmatic response to concerns held by the US military. In late 1992, as the small UN mission in Somalia was collapsing, senior American generals worried about being drawn into the resulting vacuum. Hence they reluctantly recommended a robust US intervention, in the expectation that this would allow the UN to assemble a larger peacekeeping force that would take over within months. The intervention ultimately failed, but the military learned useful lessons from this experience on how to achieve smoother UN handoffs in the future and thus effectively shift longer-term stabilisation burdens to the international community
Development economics · Economics · George (robot · Humanitarian intervention · International law · Interpretation (philosophy · Intervention (counseling · Peacekeeping · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Pragmatism · Sociology · Use of force · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · History · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Peacebuilding and International Security · Philosophy · Psychology · Public Administration
Research in Organizational Behavior
The sources of military doctrine
Intervening in Africa
Armed Servants
The Purpose of Intervention
Saving Strangers
Sources of Humanitarian Intervention
War in a Time of Peace
The United States and Coercive Diplomacy
Learning, Realism, and Alliances
Somalia and the Future of Humanitarian Intervention
War and Misperception
| Citations per year | 0.57 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2019 - 2026 (8) |
| Highly cited | No |