A New Muscular Humanitarianism?

Bernard Kouchner, the new foreign minister of France, is the most exciting international policy-maker today. He defies all of the simple categories. Kouchner is a socialist working for a newly elected rightist government in France. He is one of the most vocal advocates of human rights in the world, and he is also a consistent proponent of interventionist policies, including forceful regime change.

Kouchner's record straddles the community of international do-gooders and the halls of great power politics. Outraged at the horrors of death and brutality in post-colonial Africa, he helped found MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES -- one of the most respected and effective international non-governmental health organizations. He supported American-led attacks on Serbia during the Yugoslav War, when much of the international community -- including citizens across Europe -- condemned U.S. "imperialism." After the Serbian withdrawal from Kosovo, he helped lead the U.N.-directed reconstruction of the region. In a famous February 2003 editoral, published in the French newspaper Le Monde, Kouchner opposed both the American attack on Iraq, and the more popular calls for normal diplomacy with Saddam Hussein. He demanded a concerted international effort to topple Hussein's regime through pressures short of war -- including increased sanctions, support for Iraqi opposition groups, and complete ostracism of the illegitimate regime. Kouchner's position emphasized the human rights of the Iraqi people, oppressed by Hussein, and the need for a forceful effort to protect those rights.

As France's new foreign minister, Kouchner has the opportunity to put his principles into action as never before. He has not lost any time. During his first weeks in office he has called for military intervention in Darfur -- opposed by most American and European leaders -- to secure the protection of refugees and assure a safe corridor to neighboring Chad. Kouchner has made his case for military intervention as a protection of basic human rights. He has appealed to Europeans, Americans, and politicians in other regions of the world for support.

Whether Koucher will succeed in convincing his counterparts to pursue a program of muscular humanitarianism remains uncertain. Whether such a policy -- if implemented -- can succeed, is even more doubtful. The difficulties "on the ground" in places like Darfur, not to mention Iraq and Afghanistan, seem almost insurmountable. Foreign interventions to "develop" and "modernize" societies have a poor historical track record, to say the least.

That said, Kouchner's early tenure as French foreign minister feels like a breath of fresh air. He is a thoughtful man of action pursuing an ambitious foreign policy. He is a passionate figure trying to articulate sincere ideals and follow through on them, despite international complexities. Most impressive, Kouchner is working to offer a contructive alternative to recent American military unilateralism and the passivity of most other major states.

We should wish Kouchner well. He will probably fail more than he will succeed. His small accomplishments might, however, point our troubled world in a promising direction. The international community needs more than assertions of national interest in one corner and human rights rhetoric in another. Kouchner's energy will inspire a necessary discussion about the appropriate coordination of force and idealism after the stale debates surrounding Iraq. Vive Kouchner! Vive La France!