Killings Pose Dilemma for Clinton

President Clinton was so moved by his meeting with survivors of the Rwandan genocide, and his belief that the West had failed to stop the killing, that he was tempted to invoke the “Never again” mantra that followed the Holocaust. “But his National Security staff insisted that he hedge any pledge to stop future genocides since it was not a mission that the U.S. military was prepared to take on,” says TIME Managing Editor Walter Isaacson, traveling with the President. “So, even though he gave a moving speech in Rwanda about the need to stop future genocides, there's no new American policy or military doctrine for getting involved in genocidal wars in Africa.”

Hours later, however, the President was reminded of the potential for evil back home. “The President was awakened by Bruce Lindsey who told him about the Arkansas shooting,” says Isaacson. “He was so upset he couldn't get back to sleep. He called people back in Arkansas to keep talking about it through the night.” Developing a policy response to that tragedy may prove even more complex than the Rwanda dilemma.