I just finished watching this documentary on the black hawk down crisis that happened back in the early 90s. I've always been fascinated by this event.
Basically a civil war and famine was going on in Somalia in the early 90s and an American led UN force went in to feed the dying people. At first the people were happy but quickly turned against the Americans for whatever reasons.
At the end of the battle of Mogadishu, dozens of Americans were killed and an American pilot was captured. The top Somalian warlord and the American ambassador to Somalia went into negotiations for about two days and at one point the American ambassador basically threatened to level the city and kill tens of thousands of Somalians.
The ending to this event is what really fascinates me because the use of threats in political negotiation. I'm still reading about the subject and there are those in political science that say Oakley was simply bluffing. Either way in retrospect, it was effective.
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President Bill Clinton ordered Mr. Oakley to make no concessions in negotiating for the pilot’s release with Gen. Mohammed Farah Aidid, the leader of a dominant Somali faction. Mr. Oakley was accordingly unequivocal in threatening military retaliation if Mr. Durant was not freed.
“Once the fighting starts, all this pent-up anger is going to be released,” Mr. Oakley said, according to Mark Bowden’s best-selling 1999 book “Black Hawk Down.” “This whole part of the city will be destroyed, men, women, children, camels, cats, dogs, goats, donkeys, everything. ... That would be really tragic for all of us, but that’s what will happen.”"
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97OGWTfObQw
Basically a civil war and famine was going on in Somalia in the early 90s and an American led UN force went in to feed the dying people. At first the people were happy but quickly turned against the Americans for whatever reasons.
At the end of the battle of Mogadishu, dozens of Americans were killed and an American pilot was captured. The top Somalian warlord and the American ambassador to Somalia went into negotiations for about two days and at one point the American ambassador basically threatened to level the city and kill tens of thousands of Somalians.
The ending to this event is what really fascinates me because the use of threats in political negotiation. I'm still reading about the subject and there are those in political science that say Oakley was simply bluffing. Either way in retrospect, it was effective.
"
President Bill Clinton ordered Mr. Oakley to make no concessions in negotiating for the pilot’s release with Gen. Mohammed Farah Aidid, the leader of a dominant Somali faction. Mr. Oakley was accordingly unequivocal in threatening military retaliation if Mr. Durant was not freed.
“Once the fighting starts, all this pent-up anger is going to be released,” Mr. Oakley said, according to Mark Bowden’s best-selling 1999 book “Black Hawk Down.” “This whole part of the city will be destroyed, men, women, children, camels, cats, dogs, goats, donkeys, everything. ... That would be really tragic for all of us, but that’s what will happen.”"
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97OGWTfObQw
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