Bill Clinton Foreign PoliciesMuch more involved on a global scale!

Governor of…

Vice-President…

First Lady…Hillary Rodham Clinton

Early success in the Middle East…

Oslo Peace Accords

Yitzhak Rabin & Yasser Arafat

Somalia Civil War

Somalia• UN distributing food to starving

Somali victims of a civil war1. Operation Restore Hope2. Distribution proved difficult because of

warlord Mohammed Farrah Aidida) Used food for his soldiers & to sell for

weapons (80% of food stolen)b) Cot: drug causes aggressive behavior;

warlords used it to recruit more members

“If it shoots or blows upthey have it in Somalia.”

Mohammed Farrah Aidid

• Key warlord who was trying to take over the country and not cooperating with food distribution efforts• US forces continually

sent in to capture high ranking officials loyal to Aidid

Somalia• US forces sent in to help distribute food • By 1993, the mission had expanded to try

to put an end to the violence resulting in several deaths on both sides

• Initially, Somalis supported US presence, but this changed as more and more Somalis were killed

• Climax occurred in Oct. 1993 in a bloody battle in the capital of Mogadishu

Battle of Mogadishu• American special forces were sent in to

capture high ranking members loyal to Aidid.

• Mission only supposed to last 30 Min. • 2 American Black Hawk helicopters shot

down by RPGs.• Many soldiers were trapped at the crash

site; forced to fight their way out; lasts throughout the night

Black Hawk Down

Black Hawk Down

• 18 killed; 73 wounded• Result:–Clinton withdraws US forces from

Somalia• Importance:–Bitter experience helped

discourage Clinton from sending forces to help out Rwanda

Rwanda Genocide• What is a genocide?–Systematic

extermination of a particular group of people because of ethnic, racial, religion, nationality, etc.

Rwanda Genocide

• Originally controlled by…–Belgium

• Two Ethnic Groups:–Tutsis: Minority; tall, warrior-like;

favored by Belgium–Hutus: Majority; farmers; resented

Tutsi favoritism

Rwanda Genocide• After Belgium withdrew in the early 1960s, a

power vacuum was created• Eventually Hutus gain control; fighting

continues the next several decades• 1990 – Tutsi rebels launch a major offensive

in Rwanda to attempt to take back control• 1993 – UN pressures the Tutsis and Hutus

into a ceasefire with hopes of an eventual peace accord

Rwanda GenocideHutu President Juvenal Habyarimana

killed in a mysterious plane crash

Interahamwe – Hutu power group

Weapon of Choice = Machete

Rwanda Genocide

Rwanda Genocide

Rwanda Genocide

• How did it turn into a genocide?1. Couldn’t be a moderate Hutu; “kill or be

killed;” Interahamwe very well organized; claimed Tutsis would enslave Hutus

2. UN/US did not step in to stop it; UN soldiers were forbidden to shoot

3. Hutu-controlled radio

It wasn’t always Tutsis…

Rwanda Genocide

• Eventually, the Tutsi rebels gain upper hand and end violence in Rwanda, but the conflict spills over into neighboring countries

• In total, 800,000 Rwandans were killed• Estimates range from 500,000 – 1 million

RTLM Radio spread Hutu propaganda

Mille Collines Hotel (Hotel Rwanda)

Breakup of Yugoslavia

Breakup of Yugoslavia

• Yugoslavia was comprised of several ethnic groups & historical enemies of each other• By 1991, it ceased to exist and was

replaced by several smaller countries

Bosnia/Herzegovina and Serbia

• Ethnic clash begins when Serbia occupies territory inside Bosnia over a border dispute

• Within these countries, violence raged• Characterized by indiscriminate killing –

everyone was a target (Sniping in Sarajevo)• Around 100,000 killed• UN/US launch limited air strikes

Dayton Accords

Dayton Accords

• Ends 3 ½ years of fighting• Why Dayton???–Fewer distractions –Not much to do

The Serbian Conflict• Serbian leader

Slobodan Milosevic launches a genocide against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo

The Serbian Conflict

• Clinton successfully urged NATO forces to conduct bombing campaigns against Serb forces to get them to leave Kosovo

• Unwilling to put any ground troops into harms way

• Why?–Black Hawk Down

Crisis in Kosovo

• Milosevic tried for crimes against humanity• Dies while in

prison

NAFTA

• Free trade between the US, Canada, and Mexico

Scandal & Impeachment

White House Intern Monica Lewinsky

Blue Dress

Clinton Impeached1. Lying under oath: “I did not have

sexual relations with that woman.”2. Influencing Lewinsky’s testimony3. Senate tried him but failed to

receive 2/3 majority to remove from office

Aftermath• Clinton’s approval ratings actually go up after

the scandal• Why?• The economy was doing well• “Wag the Dog”–Clinton launches cruise missiles to take out

al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan–Media heavily criticizes him– Trying to deflect attention away from

Lewinsky scandal