Ivytalk wrote:We didn't get involved in Rwanda in '94, where the butchery was truly horrifying. Not a chance that we'll get involved in Mali. Let the brie-eaters handle it.
Um...was that before or after we were involved with the Rwanda turmoil in 1994?
President Clinton defended his Administration's role in Rwanda on Saturday, dismissing criticism that the slow response of the United States and other Western nations had worsened the human catastrophe now unfolding in refugee camps along the Zaire-Rwanda border....Clinton said the Administration has been involved in the crisis since May and that the United States has provided 40% of the supplies used in the relief effort.
The President's statements came as the Pentagon scrambled to gear up the U.S. military force of at least 4,000 troops who will be deployed to the region to bolster relief efforts and help bring order out of the chaos brought on by the wave of refugees.
In Rwanda, the White House says, U.S. forces will operate independently, will handle only humanitarian tasks and will not join a broader U.N. peacekeeping effort.
In addition, the troops will not enter Rwanda itself, the scene of bloody massacres that have left hundreds of thousands dead and millions more fleeing into the hastily established, open-air refugee camps.
http://articles.latimes.com/1994-07-24/ ... ief-effort" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;