FOR WHOM THE BELLS TOLL

Albright did nothing

When the U.N. peacekeeping forces in Rwanda were slashed down 90% by an April 21 vote of the U.N. Security Council, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright even opposed leaving any U.N. peacekeepers at all, despite the fact that the commander of U.N. forces, Canadian Major General Dallaire had stated he could end the genocide with 5,000 good soldiers. Then, as the Hutu genocidaires were about to step up their killings of Tutsis, Albright got the Security Council to postpone a vote on restoring the peacekeeper's strength, and when the vote went through, insisted that the troops be replenished slowly. Journalist Philip Gourevitch, in his book, We wish to inform you…., wrote: [Albright's] name is rarely associated with Rwanda, but ducking and pressuring others to duck, as the death toll leapt from thousands to tens of thousands, was the absolute low point in her career as a stateswoman."(pg. 151)