An Analysis Of The Factors Influencing The Decision-making Of Humanitarian Intervention In The United States

As the leading advocate and practitioner of humanitarian intervention,the United States has been involved in most of the humanitarian operations since the end of the Cold War.It is notable,however,that the United States did not choose to participate in every humanitarian intervention,but rather actively intervened in some cases and took no action in others.The most significant feature of humanitarian intervention in the post-Cold War era is the intertwining of strategic interests and moral considerations,the reasons for which are complicated to interpret.Constrained by limited national resources,no single factor but a combination of many have contributed to the US’ initiation of and participation in humanitarian intervention.Through a comparative analysis of different cases,this thesis argues that the decision to intervene is determined by American national interests and its estimated costs of intervention.When a humanitarian crisis involves its "vital interests",the United States will intervene regardless of the costs;when a humanitarian crisis jeopardizes its "important interests",the United States will intervene only when the estimated cost is perceived low;when a crisis involves only "secondary interests," the United States will not intervene.