The Evolution Of The Doctrine And Practice Of Humanitarian Intervention

The topic of humanitarian intervention has become increasingly significant since the end of the Cold War. Despite a substantial body of literature on the subject in the past, recent developments justify a contemporary study of the subject. This book is not only timely, given the crises which have occasioned United Nations interventions over the past several years, but enduring, as international political structures undergo stress and reform, and as international law and international relations theorists grapple with the sovereignty/intervention problem. It defends the emergence of a right of humanitarian intervention and argues that state sovereignty is not incompatible with humanitarian intervention. After a thorough review of historical precedents, the book concludes by assessing contemporary developments in terms of sources of support for intervention on humanitarian grounds.

The topic of humanitarian intervention has become increasingly significant since the end of the Cold War. Despite a substantial body of literature on the subject in the past, recent developments justify a contemporary study of the subject. This book is not only timely, given the crises which have occasioned United Nations interventions over the past several years, but enduring, as international political structures undergo stress and reform, and as international law and international relations theorists grapple with the sovereignty/intervention problem. It defends the emergence of a right of humanitarian intervention and argues that state sovereignty is not incompatible with humanitarian intervention. After a thorough review of historical precedents, the book concludes by assessing contemporary developments in terms of sources of support for intervention on humanitarian grounds.

An examination of the historical narratives surrounding humanitarian intervention, presenting an undogmatic, alternative history of human rights protection.

Ten new essays critique the practice armed humanitarian intervention, and the 'Responsibility to Protect' doctrine that advocates its use under certain circumstances. The contributors investigate the causes and consequences, as well as the uses and abuses, of armed humanitarian intervention. One enduring concern is that such interventions are liable to be employed as a foreign policy instrument by powerful states pursuing geo-political interests. Some of the chapters interrogate how the presence of ulterior motives impact on the moral credentials of armed humanitarian intervention. Others shine a light on the potential adverse effects of such interventions, even where they are motivated primarily by humanitarian concern. The volume also tracks the evolution of the R2P norm, and draws attention to how it has evolved, for better or for worse, since UN member states unanimously accepted it over a decade ago. In some respects the norm has been distorted to yield prescriptions, and to impose constraints, fundamentally at odds with the spirit of the R2P idea. This gives us all the more reason to be cautious of unwarranted optimism about humanitarian intervention and the Responsibility to Protect.

This Council Policy Initiative frames the issues raised by the "ClintonDoctrine", which advocates U.S. military intervention against large-scale humanitarian abuses. The introduction offers a hypothetical memorandum prepared by a national security adviser to the president, setting forth relevant precedents and context. Three perspectives on U.S. policy options follow, written as speeches theU.S. president might make to the American people: one, humanitarian intervention can serve national interests; two, humanitarian interests alone do not justify military intervention; and three, strategic interest and moral imperative must be balanced.

This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. This book is a comprehensive presentation of humanitarian intervention in theory and practice during the course of the nineteenth century. Through four case studies, it sheds new light on the international law debate and the political theory on intervention, linking them to ongoing issues, and paying particular attention to the lesser known Russian dimension. The book begins by tracing the genealogy of the idea of humanitarian intervention to the Renaissance, evaluating the Eurocentric gaze of the civilisation-barbarity dichotomy, and elucidates the international legal arguments of both advocates and opponents of intervention, as well as the views of major political theorists. It then goes on to examine four cases as humanitarian interventions: the Greek War of Independence (1821–31), the Lebanon and Syria (1860–61), the Bulgarian atrocities (1876–78), and the U.S. intervention in Cuba (1895–98). Humanitarian intervention in the long nineteenth century will be of benefit to scholars and students of international relations, international history, international law and international political theory.

Since the end of the Cold War, humanitarian interventions have continued to evolve and respond to a wide range of political crises. These insightful essays focus on the challenges associated with interventions when facing conflict and human rights violations, unmitigated systematic violence, state re-building, human mobility and dislocation. Each chapter is linked to the rest through three defining themes that permeate the book: the evolution of humanitarian interventions in a global era; the limits of sovereignty and the ethics of interventions; and the politics of post-intervention: (re)-building and humanitarian engagement. The authors incorporate a variety of case studies including Kosovo, Timor-Leste, Syria, Libya and Iraq, and examine the complexity of interventions across their different dimensions, including relevant doctrines such as R2P, 'Use of Force' and Human Security.