Calling the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina a "humanitarian nightmare," Mr. Baker also said the Administration would urge the European Community to consider similar measures.

"I think it will go down in history as the humanitarian nightmare," said Anne-Marie Huby, a spokeswoman for the French relief organization Doctors Without Borders.

It becomes a humanitarian nightmare.

To his credit, Secretary of State Baker declares an abiding U.S. interest in Bosnia, "to do what we can to prevent the humanitarian nightmare that's taking place there from continuing."

When the humanitarian nightmare began in Rwanda, Washington was at first slow to respond.

The humanitarian nightmare in Kosovo may be reason enough for NATO's involvement in the former Yugoslavia, but for the United States there are vital strategic stakes involved as well.

Or do the strikes have the sole purpose of alleviating the humanitarian nightmare of what to do with more than 200,000 refugees?

If Iraq explodes while Americans withdraw, the resulting chaos would be a strategic and humanitarian nightmare.

Moved by its "humanitarian nightmare" and the test that poses for global security after the cold war, he urges the United Nations to impose mandatory economic sanctions on Slobodan Milosevic's outlaw Serbian regime.

They can't summon the courage even to cope with what Secretary of State Baker calls a "humanitarian nightmare."