Fractured states and U.S. foreign policy : Iraq, Ethiopia, and Bosnia in the 1990's

When does the U.S. support partition of a warring or failing state? Why has the U.S. supported partition for some secessionists, or irredentists, but not for others? Is it a policy of last resort or are there certain variables that are strong determinants of this position right from the start? This book seeks to answer these questions by examining U.S. policy toward secessionist movements in three countries during the first decade following the end of the Cold War: Iraq, Ethiopia, and Bosnia-Hercegovina. Using detailed comparative examination of U.S. policies in these three cases, the author assesses the relative impact of four factors in U.S. decision-making: 1) the position of U.S. allies or the regional power in a given case; 2) the fear of "spillover" or that conflict would spread to neighboring states because of or in the absence of specific U.S. actions; 3) the "demonstration effect" or the potential of establishing a harmful precedent; and 4) the impact of domestic pressure exerted by ethnic lobbies through Congress. Made even more relevant by world events, U.S. policy toward partition has real consequences, and this book is an important attempt to use past U.S. action as a guide to the future.

very Few Secessionist Movements In The Last Half-century Have Succeeded In Establishing Their Own Internationally Recognized States. In Part, This Is Because The International Community, And Leading States In Particular, Have Been Reluctant To Convey Their Material Support Or Political Recognition To Such Efforts. Farkas' Book Takes The Reader Inside The Political Decision Making Process Of One Key Actor, The United States. In Doing So, She Confirms That Some Concerns Are As Important As Expected (e.g., Regional Security), But Also Critically That Other Factors Thought To Be Significant In Us Foreign Policy Making (e.g., Interest Groups) Were Peripheral At Best In Us Decisions To Support Or Withold Support From Partition Proposals. — Paul F. Diehl, Professor Of Political Science, University Of Illinois

this Timely Study Constitutes An Outstanding Contribution To The Literature On Ethnic Conflict And Contemporary U.s. Foreign Policy. Based On Meticulous Research, First-hand Work In Bosnia In 1996, And Focused On The Ethno-religious Wars That Swept Across Bosnia In The 1990s, As Well As The 1991 Conflicts In Iraq And Ethiopia, This Volume Provides A Truly Unique Analysis And Resource For Understanding How And Why States Are Partitioned. — Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr., President, Institute For Foreign Policy Analysis, And Shelby Cullom Davis Professor Of International Security Studies The Fletcher School Of Law And Diplomacy, Tufts University

When does the U.S. support partition of a warring or failing state? Why has the U.S. supported partition for some secessionists, or irredentists, but not for others? Is it a policy of last resort or are there certain variables that are strong determinants of this position right from the start? This book seeks to answer these questions by examining U.S. policy toward secessionist movements in three countries during the first decade following the end of the Cold War: Iraq, Ethiopia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. This book uses detailed comparative examintion of U.S. policies in these three cases to assess the relative impact of a number of factors in U.S. decisionmaking. This text examines US policy toward secessionist movements in three countries during the first decade following the end of the Cold War, using detailed comparative examination of US policies in these three cases to assess the relative impact of a number of factors in US decision making