They declined to adopt a German plan for immediate recognition of Croatia and neighboring Slovenia on the grounds that it would (inexplicably) "limit" their options in the event Serbia begins a large-scale assault on the breakaway republics.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

Even where nations like Germany and France were disposed to take visionary actions (such as immediate recognition of Croatia and Slovenia -- and even the introduction of armed peacekeepers), the lowest-common denominator character of these organizations' consensus decision-making mechanisms made such actions utter non-starters.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy

Furthermore, America and the West have no immediate plans to bestow recognition on Somaliland, the de facto fully autonomous area in the north-west of the country that was ruled by Britain during the colonial era before Somalia's independence in 1964.

ECONOMIST: Somalia��s future

To top it off, they also needed an actor unknown enough to not draw immediate past references in the minds of moviegoers, but not so new there wasn't any recognition at all.

CNN: How Tony Gilroy came back to 'Bourne'