Sovereignty loomed less large in 1999 as an obstacle to stopping and redressing crimes against humanity. Governmental leaders who committed atrocities faced a greater chance of prosecution and even military intervention. In East Timor, intense diplomatic and economic pressure convinced Jakarta to permit the belated deployment of a multinational force to halt the scorched-earth campaign of Indonesian army-backed militia. In Kosovo, NATO's controversial bombing campaign made Belgrade acquiesce in the deployment of international troops to stop widespread ethnic slaughter and forced displacement.
Human Rights Watch World Report 2000