United Nations Intervention for Humanitarian Relief in Bosnia- Herzegovina

The current conflict in the former Yugoslav republic is outlined from a political, economic and ethnic perspective. A comparative model for intervention is provided through an examination of U.S. operations in the Dominican Republic from 1965-1966. The Dominican model should be viewed cautiously in determining its applicability for Bosnia-Herzegovina. The operational framework proposed in this paper is focused on U.S. participation as a component of U.N. coalition forces. The operational emphasis of this proposal is joint-maritime operations to provide humanitarian relief for Bosnia- Herzegovina. It is assumed that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO or the U.S. European Command EUCOM will serve as the military organization through which the U.N. imposes, supervises and enforces a cease-fire agreement. This paper concludes that stability in the post cold war world can be managed through the U.N. however, short-term U.S. leadership and assistance will be required to build U.N. credibility and confidence in solving regional crises.