Final answer:
The United States had a negligible effect on the Rwandan Genocide as it chose not to intervene, influenced by a lack of strategic interests and the desire to avoid another failed military engagement similar to Somalia. The crisis was ultimately addressed by African nations and the Tutsi minority's forces, with the U.S. later acknowledging the mistake of inaction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The effect of the United States' involvement in the Rwandan Genocide was negligible because the United States was not actively involved in addressing the atrocities during the genocide. Despite the mass killings and ethnic cleansing that characterized this tragic period in the mid-1990s, the U.S. refrained from intervening, primarily due to the lack of strategic interests in Rwanda and the recent failure in Somalia. The Clinton administration's decision was influenced by the desire to avoid another debacle like the one in Somalia, which had led to American casualties and public outcry. As a result, the U.S. response to the Rwandan crisis was limited to calling for the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers after ten of them were killed, thus not contributing significantly to either the cessation of violence or the establishment of a new democratic government.
Following the genocide, area African nations and the Tutsi minority's forces intervened, eventually taking control of the Rwandan government. This led to large displacements and humanitarian crises with Hutu refugees fearing retribution, but no substantial contribution from the United States to halt the violence or foster immediate stability in Rwanda was made. It was only years after the genocide, during a visit to Rwanda in 1998, that President Clinton formally apologized for the United States' inaction.