POL 421
Seminar on Dilemmas of Humanitarian Intervention

Winter 2007 Dr. M. P. Karns

Contact Information

Office: SJ 203

Tel: 229-3538

Homepage: http://academic.udayton.edu/MargaretKarns/

Office Hours: Drop in Tues/Thurs. 10:30-11:30, Wed. 2:00-4:30; by appointment at other times

Humanitarian Intervention: Intervention with armed force for the purpose of protecting civilians who are threatened by forced removal, ethnic cleansing, genocide……

This seminar will explore the political, practical, and moral dilemmas of international intervention in recent and future humanitarian crises. Topics to be covered include the causes of such crises; evolving norms regarding sovereignty, nonintervention, a responsibility to protect, the realities of states’ interests and political will to intervene; and the challenges of coordinating military and civilian assistance. Among the key issues that we will explore are who can authorize international interventions, what conditions justify intervention especially if it is opposed by the government(s) of affected (state(s), how humanitarian interventions should be carried out, how (or whether) societies and nations can be rebuilt following humanitarian crises, and how future crises can be prevented. Case studies will include Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Kosovo, and Darfur.

We will examine both scholarly and general audience literature; we shall do some readings in common and each of you will be responsible for reviewing one book related to humanitarian intervention and for summarizing your review in class. Because we are all looking to increase our understanding of the dilemmas of humanitarian intervention, each of you has a stake in the presentations of every member of the class. You are expected to join me in raising questions. You will also be responsible individually or in teams for conducting part or all of a class session, relating to a major research project, and for identifying one reading for the rest of the class in conjunction with your presentation. Prior to taking this seminar, you should, at a minimum, have taken POL 214 or 202 and at least one upper level international relations course or secure my permission.

Texts

Martha Finnemore, The Purpose of Intervention: Changing Beliefs about the Use of Force

(2003)

Peter J. Hoffman and Thomas G. Weiss, Sword & Salve: Confronting New Wars and

Humanitarian Crises (2006)

International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, The Responsibility to Protect

(ICISS, 2001)

Gérard Prunier, Darfur: The Ambiguous Genocide, rev. ed. (2007)

Fiona Terry, The Paradox of Humanitarian Action: Condemned to Repeat? (2002)

Thomas G. Weiss, Military-Civilian Interactions: Humanitarian Crises and the Responsibility to

Protect, 2^nd ed. (2005)

Requirements

· Regular attendance, preparation for and active participation in seminar sessions (20%)

· Essay (5-7pp) on one of the dilemmas of humanitarian intervention (20%)

· Book Report (20%)

· Individual or team research project, including research proposal, annotated bibliography, class presentation, and paper (c. 20 pages), poster presentation, or other creative output (40%)

Seminar Schedule (subject to change)

I. (Jan. 9) Introduction to The Darfur crisis and Dilemmas of Intervention

A. “Crisis in Darfur: When ‘Never Again’ isn’t Enough,” Transcript of Council on

Foreign Relations session with John Prendergast of the International Crisis Group and Erin Mazursky, Executive Director, Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND) at:

http://www.cfr.org/publication/12321/crisis_in_darfur.html?breadcrumb=%2Fissue%2F68%2Fhumanitarian_intervention

B. Council on Foreign Relations, “Sudan Crisis Bleeds Across Borders,” (Jan. 2007) at:

http://www.cfr.org/publication/12310/sudan_strife_bleeds_across_borders.html?breadcrumb=%2F

C. Beit Schweizer, “Moral Dilemmas for Humanitarianism in the era of

‘Humanitarian’ Military Interventions,” (International Red Cross Committee Sept. 2004) at: http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/66CMLK/$File/irrc_855_Schweizer.pdf

D. USAID, “Providing Humanitarian Aid,” available at:

http://www.usaid.gov/fani/Chapter_5--Foreign_Aid_in_the_National_Interest.pdf

II. (Jan. 11-16) Armed forces and humanitarian action in complex humanitarian crises

A. Nature of the Humanitarian Community—the International Aid Regime

And a framework for estimating military costs, civilian benefits

Weiss, Military-Civilian Interactions, Chs. 1-2

Individual assignments

Fabrice, In the Shadow, Ch. 16 on “Missionaries of Islam”

B. Foundations of the International Humanitarian System and Law

Hoffman and Weiss, Ch. 2

Weiss and Collins, “The Idea’s Codification and Institutionalization” handout

Geneva Conventions and Protocols, Convention on Refugees and Protocol, IDP Draft

III. (Jan. 18-Feb. 6) The Nature of Humanitarian Crises in the 1990s

A. (Jan. 18) Northern Iraq and

Weiss, Military-Civilian Interactions, Chs. 3

B. (Jan. 23) Somalia

Weiss, Ch. 4

C. (Jan. 25) Bosnia and Srebrenica

Weiss, Military-Civilian Interactions, Ch. 5

Sadako Ogato, “Protecting Refugees in the Balkan Wars,” pp. 50-64 from The Turbulent

Decade (2005) Handout

United Nations, Report of the Secretary-General Pursuant to General Assembly Resolution 53/35: The Fall of Srebrenica, UN Doc.No.A/54/549 (15 November, 1999). Available at http://www.un.org/peace/srebrenica.pdf

D. (Jan. 30) Rwanda

Weiss, Military-Civilian Interactions, Ch. 6

Alan Kuperman, “Rwanda in Retrospect,” Foreign Affairs (Jan/Feb 2000) Available at: http://fullaccess.foreignaffairs.org/20000101faessay8/alan-j-kuperman/rwanda-in-retrospect.html

Alison Des Forges, “Shame: Rationalizing Western Apathy on Rwanda” and Alan Kuperman’s Reply, Foreign Affairs (May/June 2000). Available at: http://fullaccess.foreignaffairs.org/20000501faresponse51/alison-l-des-forges-alan-j-kuperman/shame-rationalizing-western-apathy-on-rwanda.html

Samantha Power, “Rwanda: ‘Mostly in a Listening Mode,” Ch. 10 in A Problem from Hell Reserve

United Nations, Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Actions of the United Nations during the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda. S/1999/1257, 15 December 1999 http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/documents/RwandaReport1.htm

E. (Feb. 1) Haiti

Weiss, Military-Civilian Interactions, Ch. 7

Colin Granderson, “Military-Humanitarian Ambiguities in Haiti,” in Moore, ed., Hard

Choices, Reserve

Note: Jean-Paul Sampatu from Rwanda is on campus this week. Plan to attend one of the events with him. We may have him briefly for class on Thursday, Feb. 1.

F. (Feb. 6-8) Kosovo

ALL read:

Weiss, Military-Civilian Interactions, Ch. 8

Nicholas Wheeler, “The Limits of Humanitarian Intervention from the Air: The Cases of

Bosnia and Kosovo” Reserve

Individual assignments:

Selections from William Buckley, Kosovo: Contending Voices on Balkan Interventions

(2000),

1. “Voices under the Bombs,” pp. 27-55 Reserve

2. Mark Danner, “Endgame in Kosovo: Ethnic Cleansing and American Amnesia,”

pp. 56-70 Reserve

3. Jürgen Habermas, “Bestiality and Humanity: A War on the Border between Law

and Morality,” pp. 306-16 Reserve

4. Robert Skidelsky and Michael Ignatieff, “Debating Kosovo: An Exchange,” pp.

336-43 Reserve

5. David Little, “Force and Humanitarian Intervention: The Case of Kosovo,” pp.

356-59 Reserve

6. Jean Bethke Elshtain, “Kosovo and the Just-War Tradition,” pp. 363-67 Reserve

7. J. Bryan Hehir, “Kosovo: A War of Values and the Values of War,” pp. 399-405

Reserve

David Rieff, “Kosovo: The End of an Era?” Reserve

Independent International Commission on Kosovo

1. “Executive Summary: Main Findings,” pp. 1-12

http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/oso/private/content/politicalscience/0199243093/p007.html#acprof-0199243093-chapter-1

2. “International Law and Humanitarian Intervention,” pp. 163-98

http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/oso/private/content/politicalscience/0199243093/p039.html#acprof-0199243093-chapter-9

3. “Humanitarian Organizations and the Role of the Media,” pp. 201-219

http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/oso/private/content/politicalscience/0199243093/p047.html#acprof-0199243093-chapter-10