In August 1992, President George Bush Sr. sent American soldiers to Somalia to provide humanitarian aid to starving Somalis. Major problems in Somalia began when President Mohammed Siad Barre was overthrown by a coalition of opposing clans. Although there were several opposing groups, the largest was led by Mohammed Farah Aidid. After Barre's overthrow, a massive power struggle ensued. These small-scale civil wars led to the destruction of agriculture in Somalia, resulting in food deprivation in large parts of the country. When the international community became aware, large quantities of food were sent to alleviate the suffering of the Somalis. However, clan leaders like Aidid regularly diverted food and exchanged it for weapons, leaving thousands to starve. An estimated 300,000 Somalis died between 1991 and 1992 (Clancy 234-236). American soldiers were then sent to Somalia to capture Aidid, but when the operation turned bloody, much to the dismay of the American public, Clinton withdrew his troops (Battersby 151). In The Morality of War, Brian Orend outlines the ethical guidelines that must be followed at the three stages of war: jus ad bellum, jus in bello, and jus post bellum. Orend states that a nation can be moral when going to war, but immoral when leaving a war. Has the United States acted fairly in all facets of the Somali conflict? The United States espoused all the guiding principles of jus ad bellum, but with good intention, respected the principles of jus in bello, and clearly failed to respect several aspects of jus post bellum during the armed humanitarian intervention in Somalia . Jus ad bellum is defined as “war justice” and is recognized as the ethic leading to war (Orend 31). Orend argues that a middle of paper ......ed to meet the norms of jus post bellum. This is evident when we look at Somalia today. Somalia still does not have a strong central government and several thousand, if not millions, of Somalis are at risk of starving to death due to drought. Once again, the United States entered the conflict without adhering to all principles of jus ad bellum, espousing the principles of jus in bello, and failing to adequately respect those of jus post bellum. The United States entered the war as an unjust nation and exited rather unjustly. As a result, Somalia faces difficulties more than two decades later, with no signs of a hasty recovery. Worse still, with the ongoing problem and international debt crisis, few countries are willing to intervene in Africa to find a solution. How long will the world let the people of Somalia starve and whose responsibility is it to intervene if America won't?