The Limits of Humanitarian Intervention: Genocide in Rwanda

Here's a sampling of published reviews: "Essential if dispiriting reading for the tender-hearted and tough-minded alike." - Foreign Affairs, Nov/Dec 2001 "A detailed, thorough, and compelling analysis." - Harvard International Law Journal, Summer 2002 "Hard-hitting and authoritative account . . . highly recommended" - American Society of International Law, Jan 2002 "Thorough, succinct, analytically innovative, and refreshingly unbiased." - Marine Corps Gazette, March 2003

Having read favorable reviews of this book in both the Harvard Magazine and the Harvard International Law Journal and being an attorney who is deeply concerned with human rights, I felt compelled to read Kuperman's book and I was not disappointed. While the conventional wisdom that a small force of 5000 troops could have prevented genocide in Rwanda and possibly in other places, Kuperman smashes such beliefs in his intricate analysis of the 1994 genocide of 500,000 Tutsis in Rwanda. And unlike Samantha Powers who in her book "A Problem from Hell" sugarcoats how easy it would be for the United States to have prevented genocides throughout history, Kuperman in his book deals with the facts -- and as he states so eloquently in the first page of his preface "facts are stubborn things". Therefore, Kuperman proceeds to lay out all the facts of the Rwanda genocide in excruciating detail. And in laying out all the facts, Superman dispels myths, discusses the complex motivations of all the actors in this civil war, hypothesizes about the success of various forms of military intervention, and ultimately, draws important and reasoned conclusions which can help future leaders prevent civil conflicts from escalating into genocides. While this book is not light reading and you do need at least a couple of years of college to understand it, Kuperman's book is a must read for any serious student of genocide and international relations. I give it my highest five star rating!

Ever wondered how to decide whether to intervene in a genocide? This book lays out the obstacles that would have had to have been overcome to avert the wholesale slaughter in Rwanda, a genocide that was largely completed in a matter of weeks.As a lay person and concerned citizen about U.S. intervention policies in other countries, I am relieved to find a book that analyzed the issues in an clear, unbiased fashion.Kuperman briefly but cogently outlines various considerations including geography, culture, and history in a practical, behind-the-scenes manner that makes a complicated situation better understood, even for those outside government and policy think tanks. Highly recommended for any reader interested in humanitarian aid.

As one who knows the definitions of both genocide and humanitarian intervention, I agree with Mr. Kuperman that everything has its limits, including humanitarian intervention in Rwanda. As a fellow of the U.S. Institute of Peace, Mr. Kuperman is an expert in the nuances and inherent value of peace. It is quite clear from the chilling photograph on the cover of Kuperman's 162-page-text that there were people and weapons involved. Evidently, the book clarifies that there was, in fact, widespread absence of peace in Rwanda. I am almost certain that Rwanda is a country and that it is in Africa. The genocide in 1994 that took the lives of at least 500,000 Tutsis, apparently, was related to that war. Or was it? Perhaps such conventional wisdom is a myth to be exposed by another rising star in the foreign policy universe.