Looking for the Impossible: The Futile Search for a Balanced Doctrine of Humanitarian Intervention
https://doi.org/10.46272/2587-8476-2021-12-3-105-122
Abstract
Many in the West, especially in the human rights community, saw the end of the Cold War as a great opportunity for a normative transformation in international relations. They argued that the concept of sovereignty was an anachronism and that a new international regime should be created allowing for easier intervention against states that subject their citizens to violence. It seemed like a relatively straightforward issue of clashing normative principles at fi rst. As the conversation about interventions has evolved, however, it has become increasingly clear that the problem is much more complex. This article examines the set of complex trade-off s between various values and norms related to humanitarian intervention and demonstrates that no interventionist doctrine that balances these values and norms is possible. It empirically examines these tensions in the context of interventions in Kosovo and Libya.
About the Author
A. Grigoryan
Lehigh University
United States
Competing Interests:
United States
Arman Grigoryan, Associate Professor at International Relations Department
27 Memorial Dr W, Bethlehem, PA 18015
Competing Interests:
No potential confl ict of interest was reported by the author
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Review
For citations:
Grigoryan A. Looking for the Impossible: The Futile Search for a Balanced Doctrine of Humanitarian Intervention. Journal of International Analytics. 2021;12(3):105-122. https://doi.org/10.46272/2587-8476-2021-12-3-105-122
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