The mission was to feed the hungry, cure the sick, and bring peace to a country in anarchy. No formal government or organized infrastructure existed in this fourth world country governed by war lords and their armed bands of "gunmen." Operations "Restore Hope" and "Continue Hope" were planned and implemented to bring order to chaos. Unfortunately, what should have been a victory for the United Nations deteriorated into a humiliating defeat of massive proportions.

Why did an American administration--and Congress--allow under-armed U.S. forces to be committed to an open-ended mission of "nation building" under the direction of the U.N. which was an entirely different mission than that of saving starving people?