Nation Against State: A New Approach to Ethnic Conflicts and the Decline of Sovereignty

In six case studies aimed at specialists, experts on international relations look closely at the history and development of recent crises that provoked international intervention. James B. Steinberg traces the basis for each of two contradictory views of the war in former Yugoslavia: either the international community should do much more in such civil conflicts, or such situations are too intractable to be solved by outsiders. Looking at the civil war in Liberia, David Wippman observes that if intervention by the regional group ECOWAS does not succeed, it will serve those who argue that the United Nations should take a role in such conflicts. Offering evidence of incompetence in the U.N.'s relief and diplomatic efforts in Somalia, Jeffrey Clark argues that U.N. agencies must be held more accountable or such debacles will recur in places like Mozambique. In an overview of intervention strategies, Damrosch, who teaches law at Columbia University, suggests credibly that economic sanctions and arms embargos should be evaluated on how they meet two criteria: mitigating violence and targeting the perpetrators of wrongdoing. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Jan.)