“Ken Rutherford’s rich and detailed account of US and UN actions in Somalia provides compelling insights into the complexities of humanitarian and military intervention, multilateral action, domestic politics, and the future consequences of the choices made during such crises. Many aspects of this conflict – including the underestimation by consecutive US administrations of the time and costs of creating security and rebuilding a nation, the difficulties of conducting US and UN actions in countries experiencing civil strife, the importance of developing procedures to coordinate multilateral military operations, and the complications of maintaining difficult foreign policies across different political administrations – are critically important today. Rutherford’s well written exploration of these issues is indispensable for students and practitioners of international affairs.”
-- George E. Shambaugh, Chairman of the Department of Government and Associate Professor in the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University

"Explains the complex events that led to America's fateful encounter with Somalia made famous by the movie "Black Hawk Down". Building on extensive research and interviews and his own experiences as a humanitarian aid worker who himself was severely wounded in Somalia, Kenneth Rutherford recounts in brisk prose the most comprehensive account to date of US and UN involvement in Somalia, from the Oval Office and the halls of the UN to the streets of Mogadishu. The lessons Rutherford draws provide wise advice that the US is relearning at great cost in Iraq. Everyone interested in humanitarian intervention in failed states should read this book."
-- Andrew Bennett, Professor of Government and International Affairs, Georgetown University

"Ken Rutherford has shown bravery, tenacity and courage in recovering from the loss of his legs to a landmine in Somalia. With that spirit, he has helped many landmine and cluster munitions victims recover from personal suffering and has been an inspiration to countless thousands. His thought-provoking and much needed book comes at the right time -- and by the right person. His particular insights will help the international community understand the challenges and importance of conducting life saving actions to help prevent genocide and assist societies in recovering from years of violence... An excellent narrative of the international mission in Somalia [that raises] fundamental questions about the nature of current interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq."
-- Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate & Professor at the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work

“Humanitarianism Under Fire is a valuable addition to the heated debate over the motivations behind, and the legacy of, the US response to the crisis threatening tens of millions of lives in Somalia in 1992. Combining the methods of a scholar with the insights of a field-based humanitarian worker, Ken Rutherford’s contribution is at once highly readable and deeply compelling.”
-- Richard Matthew, PhD, Director, Center for Unconventional Security Affairs, University of California Irvine

The international humanitarian intervention in Somalia was one of the most challenging operations ever conducted by US and UN military forces. Until Somalia, the UN had never run a Chapter VII exercise with large numbers of troops operating under a fighting mandate. It became a deadly test of the UN’s ability carry out a peace operation using force against an adversary determined to sabotage the intervention.

Humanitarianism Under Fire is a candid, detailed historical and political narrative of this remarkably complicated intervention that was one of the first cases of multilateral action in the post-Cold War era. Rutherford presents new information gleaned from interviews and intensive research in five countries. His evidence shows how Somalia became a turning point in the relationship between the UN and US and how policy and strategy decisions in military operations continue to refer back to this singular event, even today.

Contents

Preface: Why Somalia?
Chapter One: The Last Days of the Modern Somali State
Chapter Two: Failed International Efforts to Stop the Chaos and Death
Chapter Three: Bush Sets Out to Save Somalia
Chapter Four: Armed Humanitarian Intervention
Chapter Five: Armed Nation-Building
Chapter Six: The Mission Falls Apart
Chapter Seven: Past As Prologue: United States Withdrawal And Re-Engagement