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Bosnia, Bill Clinton, and Bob Dole: Politics Meets Principle
In the 1990s, the war in Bosnia presented President Bill Clinton and the United States with one of the most difficult foreign-policy decisions of the post-Cold War era. After years of ethnic violence, atrocities, and international inaction, the United States ultimately decided to send American troops to Bosnia as part of an international peacekeeping mission.
The decision was deeply controversial. Republicans in Congress opposed the administration's policy and questioned whether American troops should be placed in harm's way in a conflict that did not directly threaten the United States. Yet when the time came to support the American men and women who would carry out the mission, one of Clinton's fiercest political opponents stepped forward.
Bob Dole put his name on legislation supporting the troops.
It was a remarkable moment in a long political career. Dole had spent decades fighting Democrats and opposing much of Bill Clinton's agenda, but he understood the difference between opposing a president's policy and abandoning the Americans sent to carry it out. His decision reflected an old principle of American politics: once the nation sends its soldiers into harm's way, politics should not come before the men and women wearing the uniform.
In this episode, we examine the Bosnia conflict, President Clinton's decision to deploy American troops, the fierce debate it produced in Congress, and Bob Dole's decision to stand with the troops despite his opposition to the policy.
It was one of the shining moments of Bob Dole's remarkable career—and an important reminder of a time when political opponents could disagree profoundly while still finding common ground when the interests of the country demanded it.
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