International Relations Essay

4484 Words18 Pages
UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS PAPER WORD COUNT: 4027 SS307: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SECTION 2A MAJ RAVEN BUKOWSKI BY CADET JAMILA PAUL ’14, CO D4 WEST POINT, NEW YORK 30 OCTOBER 2012 JYP MY DOCUMENT IDENTIFIES ALL SOURCES USED AND ASSISTANCE RECEIVED IN COMPLETING THIS ASSIGNMENT. I DID NOT USE ANY SOURCES OR ASSISTANCE REQUIRING DOCUMENTATION IN COMPLETING THIS ASSIGNMENT. SIGNATURE: Jamila Y. Paul Interference in foreign conflicts at a humanitarian level is not typically to be performed primarily out of geopolitical self-interest. Rather, it is to be done under the auspices of alleviating the humanitarian crises endemic to violent intrastate warfare. During the Bosnian conflict in the 1990’s, the leadership of the United States (U.S.) faced significant resistance from policy formulators and military officials who viewed the intervention in Bosnia as risky and strategically disadvantageous. Military intervention was justified in cases where civil war undermined regional stability and human rights, as well as U.S. interests. However, military intervention was not consistently utilized by the U.S. to mitigate conflict around the globe. Furthermore, while some intrastate conflicts immediately saw the delivery of humanitarian aid followed by military intervention via the U.S., some conflicts took many years before any support was extended to them, as was in the case of Bosnia. What then could account for this discrepancy? To answer such a question, this paper addresses the underlying theories of international relations that dictated the measures which the U.S. undertook towards the Bosnian conflict. Mainly, the theory of structural realism and constructivism will be used in arguing why the U.S. initially pursued a policy of non-intervention. In a self-help
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