ABSTRACT
The previous chapters show that the Balkan discourse played a prominent role within American and British policies toward the Bosnian war. President Clinton constructed the war as one of ancient hatred, and the British governments discourse of humanitarian responsibility modified the basic Balkan discourse by separating Balkan leaders from innocent civilians. The Genocide discourse was, in contrast, much less prominently mobilized; it did not, with the exception of Clinton's ambiguous usage during the first four months of his presidency, find its way into Western governmental discourse. This, as chapter 7 lays out, did not mean that it was without political significance: the Bosnian war was a hotly contested foreign policy issue during Clinton's first term and an influential bipartisan opposition in the US Senate adopted an American Genocide discourse that sought to pressure Clinton toward a policy of ‘lift and strike.’ Turning to Western Europe, the humanitarian responsibility discourse was articulated in response to media coverage and public criticism which adopted significant elements of the Genocide discourse.
