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THE CNN EFFECT IN ACTION
massacres identified as crucial to policy shift, only the last one at Racak
is recognized in the literature for its significant role in pushing policy
toward intervention. But even on Racak, the literature did not indi-
cate that it was significant largely because of the way it was presented
and framed by Western media. Focus in the literature is on the event
itself, which, as shown, was relatively insignificant in the overall crisis.
The CNN Effect and Foreign Policy
Examination of the 15-month period before NATO intervention in
Kosovo confirmed the competitive nature of foreign policy decision–
making, as suggested by the bureaucratic model of foreign policy
analysis. In terms of the West’s foreign policy options in relation to
the FRY, at one end of the spectrum was the possibility of full nor-
malization of relations. The West began this period close to this policy
position. At the other end of the spectrum was a position of full
support for Kosovo Albanian independence, likely requiring military
force for its implementation. The West ended this period closer to this
position. So what caused the change? How did the most powerful
alliance in the world shift policy so quickly along this range, and did
the CNN effect play a role? This study provides evidence that supports 4
the conclusion that the CNN effect did play an important role on this
path of policy change. After the Drenica massacre, Madeleine Albright
desired a tougher policy against Serbia. At that stage, however, she
found herself pushing against a mountain of resistance both in the
United States and Europe. In the United States, opposition against
military intervention was nearly unanimous at both the NSC and
Congress. The same was true in Europe amongst NATO allies, where
the military option was never on the table in early discussions over
the Kosovo crisis. Over the next year, however, each CNN effect inci-
dent, along with more traditional government-driven actions based
on events from the conflict zone, continually strengthened the inter-
vention option, gradually moving policy toward this end of the policy
option spectrum. After images from the Gornje Obrinje massacre
surfaced, Albright garnered the approval of the NSC and some key
NATO members for bombing, while resistance in Congress remained
strong. After the Racak images, however, most resistance amongst the
levers of power both in the United States and Europe temporarily
weakened, allowing Albright to push decisively for the intervention
option.
In assessing the periods when policy moved closer toward inter-
vention due to the influence of recent media images and framing, it is