"The NATO forces will, to the extent that they have capacity, assist the war crimes tribunal"
About this Quote
A sentence built to sound like commitment while quietly installing an escape hatch. Warren Christopher’s line hinges on two softeners: “to the extent” and “that they have capacity.” In the grammar of diplomacy, those phrases are airbags. They absorb impact, reduce liability, and keep options open. You can almost hear the negotiations behind it: allies wary of mission creep, commanders protective of troop safety, lawyers mindful of mandates, politicians scanning for a headline that won’t boomerang.
The specific intent is procedural and limiting. Christopher signals support for the war crimes tribunal (read: legitimacy, moral posture, post-Cold War rule-of-law ambitions) without promising the one thing tribunals actually need in a war zone: coercive power. “Assist” is deliberately noncommittal. It can mean intelligence sharing, logistics, access, or a polite memo. It can also mean very little when the hard task is arresting indicted figures who still command armed men.
The subtext is NATO’s unresolved identity in the 1990s Balkans: a military alliance being asked to behave like an international police force. Everyone wanted accountability; fewer wanted their soldiers dragging suspects out of villages on CNN. By tying assistance to “capacity,” Christopher implies that capacity is a neutral fact, not a political choice. That’s the rhetorical move: transform will into logistics.
In context, this is post-Yugoslavia violence and the Hague tribunal era, when “Never again” met the realities of coalition warfare. The line preserves alliance cohesion while offering just enough moral alignment to claim the high ground.
The specific intent is procedural and limiting. Christopher signals support for the war crimes tribunal (read: legitimacy, moral posture, post-Cold War rule-of-law ambitions) without promising the one thing tribunals actually need in a war zone: coercive power. “Assist” is deliberately noncommittal. It can mean intelligence sharing, logistics, access, or a polite memo. It can also mean very little when the hard task is arresting indicted figures who still command armed men.
The subtext is NATO’s unresolved identity in the 1990s Balkans: a military alliance being asked to behave like an international police force. Everyone wanted accountability; fewer wanted their soldiers dragging suspects out of villages on CNN. By tying assistance to “capacity,” Christopher implies that capacity is a neutral fact, not a political choice. That’s the rhetorical move: transform will into logistics.
In context, this is post-Yugoslavia violence and the Hague tribunal era, when “Never again” met the realities of coalition warfare. The line preserves alliance cohesion while offering just enough moral alignment to claim the high ground.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
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