The issue is that many times the use of military force has not actually been for to prevent human rights abuses, but that the pretence of humanitarian interventions has been given as a cover for aggressive military action. Explore the pros and cons of U.S. military intervention and a list of notable U.S. interventions. May 23, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/military-interventions-advantages-and-disadvantages/. It contains thousands of paper examples on a wide variety of topics, all donated by helpful students. This Your privacy is extremely important to us. These interventions are usually seen as successful and popular with the contemporary American public as they gave the U.S. the chance to assert its independence as one unified nation rather than thirteen colonies. However, at the same time, this intrusion can also save millions of people who can be victimized by dictatorial governments. What are the risks and benefits of US/NATO military options in The dismal showing of the Apache helicopters in Kosovothe difficulties in getting them there and up and runningsounds a warning that the U.S. military needs greater flexibility, which means a force that is easily moved and capable of coping with a wide range of missions in a wide range of environments. As it has been said before, modern South Korea is also the result of a humanitarian intervention. (2020, May 23). Regardless, the U.S. deployment may have had an impact on the countrys subsequent behavior by letting China know that any military move against Taiwan would likely be contested by the United States. Starting at a relatively modest pace diluted the psychological and political impact of the NATO action; it also gave Serbia an almost free hand to pursue its objectives using ground forces. Whether that is in the best interests of the U.S. and the world has been a source of controversy for just as long. Nonetheless, a humanitarian intervention can still be a valid strategy when it is necessary to avert an ethnic conflict. Pros And Cons The successful use of military force can prevent further harm All things being equal, it is better to err on the side of too much rather than too little force. Americas experience in Bosnia revealed that arbitrary deadlines for getting out are more likely to cause political problems than provide solutions. This lesson seems to have been learned, for the Clinton administration eschewed any talk of specific withdrawal dates when it deployed peacekeeping forces in Kosovo. At the State Department, many covert operations proposals were staffed by its Bureau of Where interests do not warrant peacemaking or nation-building operations that are costly in both financial and human terms, there may be less demanding options for doing good, such as establishing one or more safe havens in an affected country or designing operations to keep opposing factions apart. Some of the negative effects include the many unintended consequences as a result of American intervention. Often countries allied to regimes or armed groups committing human rights violations try and prevent humanitarian interventions, or they work to delegitimise or limit the success of intervening forces. By Stephen Tankel. He blogs at nationalinterest.org. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. World Politics: Trends and Transformations: Trend and Transformations. He also served as the deputy special Middle East coordinator for Arab-Israeli negotiations, a senior member of the State Department's policy planning staff, in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research and in the Office of the Historian. To be sure, this would have been costlier to carry out and would have provoked significant international opposition. The unintended consequences of political actions are known as blowback, a term coined during the Cold War. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Partly due to these negative effects, many people debate the authority of the U.S. to intervene in the affairs of foreign nations. Air power can accomplish many things, but not everything. The first major benefit of humanitarian interventions is that they protect civilians.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'humanitariancareers_com-box-4','ezslot_4',104,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-humanitariancareers_com-box-4-0'); The main aim of a humanitarian intervention is to use military force to stop human rights abuses and atrocities. The American intervention here was seen as successful because it was mostly able to stop the violence and establish safe areas for civilians. Certainly, one can also offer arguments against this intrusion. As can be seen from these examples, a strong argument in favour of humanitarian intervention is ensuring war criminals and those who attack civilians face justice.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'humanitariancareers_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_7',838,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-humanitariancareers_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); If you want to learn more about humanitarian interventions, including the pros and cons, we highly recommend the online course International Humanitarian Law in Theory and Practice by Leiden University in the Netherlands. In Kosovo, using air power earlier, after the wholesale violation of the October 1998 agreementin which Serbia agreed to a cease-fire, limits on its forces in Kosovo, and international monitoringcertainly would have proven more efficient. Pros And Cons Of Military Intervention - 1403 Words | Cram Syria Intervention: Some Pros, Mostly Cons The notion of an intervention providing a fixed amount of breathing room, after which the local people and governments will be on their own, is absurd; the United The Use and Abuse of Military Force - Brookings It is possible to provide several examples of successful and unsuccessful military interventions. An argument in favour of humanitarian interventions is that they remove unjust and repressive regimes from power. proclaims western beliefs and medicine superior to Liberian culture. Humanitarian interventions can stop attacks on civilians through destroying military hardware, limiting governments and armed groups abilities to carry out atrocities, or by removing unjust governments from power. Those arguing against the practice say the U.S. violates the sovereignty of other nations by doing this, while those in support of intervention say it prevents violence and human rights abuses. So, these objections can be used by the critics of a humanitarian intervention. William has taught world geography, world history, and government for over 3 years. But these questions do provide a framework, and with it some potential guidance. Diplomatic opportunities can arise from military intervention, but they are not always guaranteed. Pros And Cons Of Military Intervention Thank you for supporting the site. His first book, America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder, will be published in November. There are many examples throughout history of humanitarian interventions being used to unseat repressive governments. He is also certified to teach social studies and history from 7th to 12th grade in Texas. The U.S. often points to these positive effects when intervening in other countries and, on occasion, they are able to achieve their objective and restore peace to a region. Baarda, T. (2009). I feel like its a lifeline. Another argument that can be made against humanitarian interventions is that by taking military action against those committing atrocities, actually more lives can be lost. Why military assistance programs disappoint - Brookings The result is that the air-only intervention failed to achieve one of the principal goals the United States and NATO had set for themselves: guarding the people of Kosovo. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. "Military Interventions: Advantages and Disadvantages." In contrast, there are examples of failed operations. The focus of this debate is the U.S. bombing campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The Future of Security Assistance. Many people agree that the regime in Pyongyang is among the worst in the world. An argument in favour of humanitarian intervention is that using military force against armies and groups preventing humanitarian access can allow aid to be delivered to people. It is also important to note that we may have financial relationships with some of the companies mentioned on our website, which could result in receiving free products, services, or monetary compensation in exchange for featuring their products or services. In 1912, the Cuyamel Fruit Company even used a mercenary army to install a friendly administration in Honduras while the American government had no response on the issue. This is because of how often the U.S. has used its military to exert influence on other nations by either restoring stability or asserting its dominance. Even a stealth aircraft can be shot down. Supporters of U.S. military intervention argue that there are many positive effects of American foreign policy. Many people call for the use of military force to stop countries committing genocide. Panama, of course, proved a partial exception to these rules, but even there it took some two weeks to find and arrest Manuel Noriega even though more than 20,000 American soldiers were occupying the generals small country and faced little organized opposition. Often when military action is taken against a regime that oppresses its people humanitarian intervention is used as a justification. IvyPanda. Interventionism For instance, the critics of this strategy point out that this military intrusion is more likely to boost the geopolitical aims of economically and military advanced countries. Under such circumstances, it is vital to stop different ethnic groups from entering into a military confrontation with one another. Military intervention is a topic that has been widely debated for several years. He is an adjunct history professor, middle school history teacher, and freelance writer. There have been many examples of successful humanitarian interventions that have protected civilians. This is because major nations such as China and Russia would prevent such as move and Western nations that might intervene do want to pay the heavy price of taking military action. All rights reserved. In other words, the losses caused by the humanitarian intervention turned out to be even more disastrous than the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein. One of the most notorious cases is the Rwandan Genocide which took place in 1994 (Schimmel, 2011). A humanitarian intervention is when military force is taken against a country, violating its sovereignty, with the aim to protect civilians and end human rights violations. This federal support is often why the Quasi-War is considered one of the first interventions. There are also diplomatic opportunities that can arise from military intervention. These include that they destabilise the country in which the military action is taken, a lack of proper planning following the intervention and systemic issues within the country that are not resolved by the removal of repressive regimes. There are pros and cons to this approach, and it's important to weigh them Second, global powers may use military intervention as a last resort, having exhausted all other non-militant options. Although the aim of a humanitarian intervention is to prevent further human rights abuses, in fact often military interventions in countries result in an increase in bloodshed. When armed groups and governments use violence against non-military targets, it is a major human rights violation. While the American government has its own intentions for influencing other nations, there are often unintended negative consequences, commonly referred to as blowback. As the world continues to face challenges from conflicts and instability, it is important to carefully consider all possible solutions before deciding on military intervention. 301 lessons On the whole, these arguments should be kept in mind by political leaders who take a decision to start a humanitarian intervention. As has been shown, air power is clearly limited in what it can be expected to accomplish. Manage Settings Kerton-Johnson, N. (2010). A point that can be made in favour of humanitarian interventions is that without the use of military force, many oppressive regimes will continue to commit human rights abuses against their civilians. Initially an intervention over a border dispute and the statehood of Texas, the U.S. wanted to assert its dominance over the North American continent due to the concept of Manifest Destiny. This research paper on Military Interventions: Advantages and Disadvantages was written and submitted by your fellow A strong example is the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 that was justified as a humanitarian intervention but resulted in many years of bloodshed. An advantage of humanitarian interventions is that they can put an end human rights abuses and stop atrocities. Paul Pillar (right), a former national intelligence officer, with teammate Aaron David Miller, argues that the U.S. should have a smaller military footprint in the Middle East. The huge cost of humanitarian interventions is an important point against them. Although it is not always possible to bring the exact perpetrators of crimes to formal justice, humanitarian interventions set a precedent that attacks on civilians and breaches of human rights law will not go unpunished. Other governments and organizations are in a position to provide only limited assistance except where armed resistance is modest or non-existent; the lions share of any demanding military operation will have to be borne by the United States. ensure the integrity of our platform while keeping your private information safe. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[468,60],'humanitariancareers_com-leader-2','ezslot_8',605,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-humanitariancareers_com-leader-2-0');Two humanitarian interventions that are renowned for their huge financial costs are the US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Humanitarian interventions can also create a safe space for civilians to move away from fighting. The lack of long-lasting stability and peace following many humanitarian interventions is a significant argument against them. In order to better understand if military force should be used to protect civilians in other countries, lets explore the advantages and disadvantages of humanitarian interventions. This war lasted from 17981800 and was caused by American cooperation with British trading vessels while France was in the middle of the war of the first coalition against Britain and others in Europe. However, there has been no humanitarian intervention to stop the widespread abuses of human rights. In any case, enlisting in the army is an important decision. One has to be ready to make personal sacrifices and face the harsh realities of service. But, not everything is as bad as it seems. For every con about joining the armed forces, theres a pro that evens things out a little. Humanitarian interventions require using military force and this means more armed actors are involved and fighting must take place between the intervening forces and those they are trying to stop from committing atrocities. Pros And Cons Of Above Ground Swimming Pools, Pros And Cons Of Self Contained Classrooms. Bombs and missiles can be fooled by decoys and frustrated by mobility and masking. In these Oxford-style debates, the team that sways the most people to its side by the end is the winner. WebPros And Cons Of Military Intervention proclaims western beliefs and medicine superior to Liberian culture. In world history, there are several countries with an extensive history of interventionism, including the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States. No checks and balances 6. The use of military force anywhere in the world comes at huge financial cost. An example of a time humanitarian intervention was used to justify aggressive military action is the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. At Ablison.com, we believe in providing our readers with useful information and education on a multitude of topics. To have a nation militarily violate the sovereignty of another country is controversial. By using force to stop conflicts in neighboring countries, the military can prevent the destabilization of entire regions. Carrying out more than one kind of intervention in the same place at the same time can invite trouble. Furthermore, the failure of these humanitarian interventions can be partly explained by the fact that foreign military planners and politician lacked understanding of local culture as well as the tensions existing in the Iraqi society. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield. Although humanitarian interventions aim to stop violence and atrocities, in fact they can increase them. This is a key point against them. Overall, this argument is based on the premises of the just war theory which postulates that a military action be justified when it is necessary to stop injustice (Al-Haj, 2013). These include military interventions in the Libyan Civil War, which, although removing the horrific dictator Muammar Gaddafi, also resulted in an extensive civil war that is still ongoing. Soon after the Quasi-War, Thomas Jefferson authorized the use of the American military in the Barbary Wars in response to pirates kidnapping American sailors and demanding tribute. They should use force only in those cases when there is a risk of eminent danger. This was in an effort to assert American independence as it was still a young and weak nation at that time. Moreover, a narrow foreign policy based solely on self-interest is unlikely to capture the imagination or enjoy the support of the American people, who want international commitments with a moral component. Arguments are often made for humanitarian interventions when there are reports of extensive and wide-spread human rights abuses. New York, NY: Springer. Censorship In As many interventions have taken place over the years, people often debate the effects of America's involvement in foreign nations. Furthermore, one can say that this form of interference is more likely to endanger the lives of many innocent people. Some examples of humanitarian interventions that have succeeded in doing this include the NATO intervention in Bosnia in 1992. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. student. Many people argue that interventionism leaves places worse than they were before American troops arrived. (2008). They have been aimed at stopping or reducing The United States would have been wiser to resist the temptation to expand its intervention in Somalia from just delivering food in a large, safe area to full-bore peacemaking. Military forces can restore peace and security to areas where there is unrest or conflict, and help establish a stable government. If you want to learn more about humanitarianism, explore our list of the top humanitarian online courses here. Simply put, many nations do not have, or wish to spend, the huge financial sums required to military intervene in another country. (2020) 'Military Interventions: Advantages and Disadvantages'. Punitive interventions are in many ways the opposite: they lack any clear purpose or linkage, and their principal advantage is that the attacking side retains the initiative in that only it decides when it is satisfied. Military intervention can also prevent the spread of violence across borders. Of course, no system is better than the intelligence fed into it; accuracy is no virtue if the target is misidentified, as was the case with the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, or if the intelligence assessment is in itself flawed, as may have been the case in the U.S. attack on an alleged chemical plant in Sudan. The selective use of humanitarian interventions is a crucial part of why some people are against them. Operation Desert Fox against Iraq in 1998 employed a modest amount of air power for a short and arbitrary period of time with no goal other than to weaken the adversarys strength to some unspecified degree. In particular, it is possible to say that this military action can be motivated primarily by political or economic interests, rather than the intention to save innocent people (Kegley, 2011, p. 364). This can make it difficult to build trust and establish a stable government in the long term. Humanitarian Intervention: Advantages and Disadvantages in East There have been some of examples of when humanitarian interventions have successfully held war criminals and human rights abusers to account. We will write a custom Research Paper on Military Interventions: Advantages and Disadvantages specifically for you for only 11.00 9.35/page. Recklessly marches nation into war before trade and tourism sanctions can have any effect. By taking military action against the perpetrators, humanitarian interventions can end such atrocities. Also, many military actions claimed as humanitarian interventions are denounced by political opponents as overt military aggressions. IvyPanda. The intervention came after the pirates abducted several American sailors and ships and demanded tribute from the U.S. Jefferson refused to pay tribute and instead authorized a small invasion of Tripoli involving the Navy, Marines, and some Greek mercenaries. This is a war crime. Schimmel, N. (2011). While it can be a powerful tool for promoting peace and stability, it can also lead to significant human and economic costs. Due to the frequency of American interventions, especially in regions such as Central America, some argue that the U.S. causes more harm than good through its use of military intervention. IvyPanda, 23 May 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/military-interventions-advantages-and-disadvantages/. An example is the US intervention in Somalia, 1992. 1. Why is America Addicted to Foreign Interventions? If the aim of a military intervention into another country is to protect civilians and the lasting impact is further conflict, it calls into questions the benefits of humanitarian interventions. Much attention should be paid to the situation in modern Iraq. However, at the same time, this military intrusion can only increase hostilities. This is one of the main threats that should be taken into account. Principle of the States Sovereignty and the Phenomenon of Humanitarian Intervention Under Current International Law. It is the aim. The fact that the US has been accused of conducting military operations inside the territory of neighboring Pakistan has not helped the issue; the relationship between this American ally in this region with the US has been strained by the American counteraccusation that the Pakistani government is not applying itself enough to expel al He has a Bachelor of Science in Education from Southwestern University. If you require such advice, we recommend consulting a licensed financial or tax advisor. Both of those efforts must go on while the White House continues to avoid direct conflict between NATO and Russian troops. The other constraint is in some ways the opposite: over-reliance on the military instrument. A famous case of this was during the Yugoslav Wars: the U.S., with the help of the United Nations, entered Serbia in 1992 in order to stop the Bosnian genocide. Humanitarian Careers provides information on degrees, courses and jobs for those working in humanitarian aid, students studying international development and recent graduates looking to launch their career in aid. It is important to weigh the potential benefits against the costs, and to consider alternative solutions before resorting to military force. IvyPanda. But the Clinton administration never tried. Defending the U.S. Military Presence in Africa for Reasons beyond Such an action raises serious questions about the use of punitive attacks; in that instance, it would have been far better to have conducted a compellent attack that was not only open-ended and massive in scope but tied to Iraqs agreeing to accept unconditional international inspections of Iraqi facilities suspected of producing or storing weapons of mass destruction. For instance, one can mention such a country as Rwanda in which Hutu political leaders provoked the ethnic genocide of Tutsi people (Chatterjee & Scheid, 2003, p. 5). WebIn other words, an intervention is defined as a threatening act that is unwelcome by the target of ones intervention. Similarly, one should not forget the failure to prevent the Holocaust. This is another rationale for implementing a military intervention. Most humanitarian interventions are justified by aiming to end human rights violations against civilians. 22 chapters | Still, even an ideal military cannot succeed if it is undermined by either of two constraints. Its a process which involves a nation using its military forces to intervene in another countrys affairs, either to protect its interests or to provide humanitarian aid. Kosovo underscored a related limitation; although aerial bombardment over the course of some eleven weeks did help persuade Slobodan Milosevic to agree to NATO terms, it seems apparent that the threat of introducing ground forces made a greater impact. Protective Military Interventionism: The Pros and Cons Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Here again, Kosovo was no exception. Several recent experiences highlight just how hard it is to affect a target nations internal politics or political culture with military instruments. https://ivypanda.com/essays/military-interventions-advantages-and-disadvantages/, IvyPanda. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you Although many nations may support taking action to stop human rights abuses, not all countries will see the events from the same perspective. The United States has been a major military player in the Middle East for decades. We Take A Look, 16 Things International Development Organisations Do. Since then, the U.S. has had interventions in every continent including countries such as Cuba, Serbia, Vietnam, Korea, Somalia, Iraq, and many others. He retired in 2005 from a 28-year career in the U.S. intelligence community, with senior positions that included national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia, deputy chief of the DCI Counterterrorist Center and executive assistant to the director of central intelligence. Pros And Cons Of US Intervention Whether it actually deterred any action by China is less clear, as it is difficult to discern Chinas intentions. Once this opportunity was missed and violence erupted, the barrier to acting should not have been the opposition of the Indonesian government or the absence of a UN Security Council mandatehiding behind respect for sovereignty should not be allowed when a government violates the rights of its people in a massive and brutal way, and legitimacy should not be dependent on UN actions. A prime reason is that as the foreign military force engages, often armed actors within the country turn to fend off the invading army. | 1 NATO, meanwhile, had to be prepared to stay the course until he met them. Ethics and Foreign Intervention. Both Iraq and Kosovo suggest that short of occupation, military force is not a very good tool for changing regimes, although a successful use of military force that weakens or humiliates an adversary can help bring about a political environment in which domestic opponents of the regime in question may be encouraged to act.
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