The Failure of American Atrocity Prevention (The Mantle)

In 1992, the United States became involved in UNOSOM, a Chapter VII humanitarian mission in Somalia. The original goal of our participation in this mission was to ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian aid to a suffering Somali population. As a part of Operation Restore Hope, we began to focus in on the capture of General Mohamed Farrah Hassan Aidid, a wanted Somali warlord. In early October of 1993, in pursuit of General Aidid, two U.S. military helicopters were shot down in Mogadishu and 18 U.S. soldiers were killed. It was a devastating blow not only to the U.S. military, but to the American public at home. We had overlooked the reality that humanitarian intervention might come at the cost of American lives. The shock was overwhelming for citizens and lawmakers alike. It forever changed how we as a nation dealt with humanitarian crises. Read more…