"Rwanda in retrospect" - Alan Kupperman

Melvin Loh

This article on the Rwandan genocide came out in FOREIGN AFFAIRS in 2000,n and I used it in my thesis. Kupperman argued in this article the extreme logistical and other difficulties which the US and UN would've faced in mounting a humanitarian intervention into Rwanda during 1994, such that the US would've needed to deploy at least 3 divs (possibly the 101st, 82nd and a light inf or Marine outfit) with full all-arms and aviation support into central Africa, and that best case scenario they could only have hoped to have saved around approx 125,000 of the 500,000-800,000 ppl who were butchered by the Hutu extremists. Thus, he seriously attacks Gen Romeo Dallaire's assertion that with 5000 fully-equipped combat troops and a mandate to militarily halt the genocide, he could've stopped the mass killers in their tracks.
 

Fiji

I've often wondered what the results would have been if someone blew up radio mille colines early in the whole mess.
without mille colines, the killing is far less organised.
Throw in some disinformation, the whole ugly business might have been prevented.

5000 men at the right time just might have done the trick.

The main problem in fixing Ruanda is of course the UN which at the time figured that if everyone held hands and sang songs, no one would get killed.
 

Grimm Reaper

Dallaire's speculation is extremely subjective and ignores such minor issues as when intervention would have happened, the force behind it, and how to get past the minor detail that the UN could not have been involved, as France would have vetoed any Security Council Resolution authorizing such intervention.

On the other hand, Kupperman's thesis that logistical and other difficulties would have prevented such an operation is simply wrong. The US and allies were absolutely capable of sending a force in, and would have saved most of those killed, especially considering the extremely low-tech armaments of so many of the killers.
 

wkwillis

Melvin Loh said:
This article on the Rwandan genocide came out in FOREIGN AFFAIRS in 2000,n and I used it in my thesis. Kupperman argued in this article the extreme logistical and other difficulties which the US and UN would've faced in mounting a humanitarian intervention into Rwanda during 1994, such that the US would've needed to deploy at least 3 divs (possibly the 101st, 82nd and a light inf or Marine outfit) with full all-arms and aviation support into central Africa, and that best case scenario they could only have hoped to have saved around approx 125,000 of the 500,000-800,000 ppl who were butchered by the Hutu extremists. Thus, he seriously attacks Gen Romeo Dallaire's assertion that with 5000 fully-equipped combat troops and a mandate to militarily halt the genocide, he could've stopped the mass killers in their tracks.
Click to expand...

100,000 pistols donated by Americans would have stopped the genocide. Just pad them and throw them out the windows over Tutsi villages. They could have held off the machete wielding mobs no problem. Pistols survive between tossed around better than rifles due to the low moment arm. They are not as effective at killing people long term due to the lower velocity, lower rate of fire, and lower accuracy. Concealibility is a plus because you can't attack unarmed travelers if you can't tell they are unarmed.
 
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