"Is it possible and worthwhile to use the military in conjunction with humanitarian action to thwart violence and mitigate civilian suffering? This timely book seeks to answer this question by looking at the contemporary context and history of military-civilian interactions, developing a framework for assessing military costs and civilian benefits, and examining in depth the five most prominent cases -- Northern Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Haiti. It further suggests how multilateral military operations could expand or contract in the future to the benefit or peril of war victims"--Page 4 of cover.

Armed forces and humanitarian action: past and present - - Framework for estimating military costs and civilian benefits from intervention - - Northern Iraq, 1991-1996: a difficult act to follow? - - Somalia, 1992-1995: the death of Pollyannaish humanitarianism? - - Bosnia, 1992-1995: convoluted charity? -- Rwanda, 1994-1995: better late than never? - - Haiti, 1991-1996: why wait so long? - - Humanitarian intervention: costs, benefits, quandaries.