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Humanitarian Intervention in Kosovo: Fact or Fiction?
Peter Russell2004
This dissertation will examine the military intervention conducted by NATO in Kosovo in 1999. By examining the pre-existing situation, the justifications given, the methods used, and the results of the intervention, it will be determined whether the characterization of this event as a “humanitarian intervention” is accurate. In the first chapter, the literature on Kosovo, human rights, and humanitarian intervention is examined to assess the current state of the debate on the Kosovo intervention. Following this introduction is a chapter on the idea of human rights. This begins with a brief history of human rights, then assesses the standing of human rights in international law and international relations and the ways in which they apply to the Kosovo intervention. The concept of humanitarian intervention is examined in the next chapter, including a short survey of its history in the post-World War II period, an examination of different definitions of the term, and a determination of what criteria were (or should be) applied in order to evaluate whether or not an intervention qualifies as “humanitarian”. The fourth chapter is a case study of the intervention in Kosovo in the spring and summer of 1999, applying the ideas of human rights and humanitarian intervention to the course of events before, during, and after the NATO bombing campaign. This chapter includes a brief historical background to the conflict, then moves on to an analysis of the motives, behaviour, and interests of the intervening parties, and an assessment of the outcome of the intervention. The final section of this chapter is the conclusion, which summarizes the findings of this thesis and evaluates their significance in both academic and practical terms.
