Research Catalog

Justifying America's wars : the conduct and practice of US military intervention

Title: Justifying America's wars : the conduct and practice of US military intervention / Nicholas Kerton-Johnson.
Author: Kerton-Johnson, Nicholas.
Publication: London ; New York : Routledge, 2011.

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Request for On-site Use Request Scan Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person.	Text	Use in library	JFE 16-9792	Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

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Description

xiv, 191 pages : illustrations; 24 cm

Summary

From the publisher. This book examines the justifications for, and practice of, war by the US since 1990, and examines four case studies: the Gulf War, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. The author undertakes an examination of presidential speeches and public documents from this period to determine the focal points on which the respective presidents based their rhetoric for war. The work then examines the practice of war in the light of these justifications to determine whether changes in justifications correlate with changes in practice. In particular, the justificatory discourse finds four key themes that emerge in the presidential discourses, which are tracked across the case studies and point to the fundamental driving force in US motivations for going to war. The four key themes which emerge from the data are: international law or norms; human rights; national interest; and egoist morality (similar too, but wider than, 'exceptionalism'). This analysis shows that 9/11 resulted in a radical shift away from an international law and human rights-focused justificatory discourse, to one which was overwhelmingly dominated by egoist-morality justifications and national interest. This book will be of much interest to students of US foreign policy, humanitarian intervention, Security Studies, and IR theory.

Series Statement

Contemporary security studies

Uniform Title

Contemporary security studies.

Subject

Genre/Form

Case studies.

Note

"Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada"--Title page verso.

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

Legitimacy in international relations -- Some methodological points -- An initial note on the cases -- Setting the context : intervention and norms in international society -- 1945-1990 -- 1990-2001 -- 2001 onwards -- Intervention norms and international society -- The Gulf War -- Background to the war -- President Bush's justifications for intervention -- UNSC -- The move to war -- The practice of intervention -- Post-war rebellion and safe-havens -- Conclusion: Old or new norms advanced? -- The Kosovo intervention -- Background and UNSC -- President Clinton's justifications for intervention -- The practice of intervention -- A humanitarian shift in international society? -- The intervention in Afghanistan -- Background to the intervention -- President Bush's justifications for the intervention -- UNSC -- The practice of intervention -- The Iraq War -- President Bush's justifications for the intervention -- UNSC -- The practice of intervention -- Revisiting the cases -- Justifications across the cases : a core legitimating norm? -- Practice across cases : standard practice? A shifting international society?

Call Number

JFE 16-9792

ISBN

9780415561686
041556168X

LCCN

2010007164

OCLC

457164742

Author

Kerton-Johnson, Nicholas.

Title

Justifying America's wars : the conduct and practice of US military intervention / Nicholas Kerton-Johnson.

Imprint

London ; New York : Routledge, 2011.

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Series

Contemporary security studies

Contemporary security studies.

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Note

ARGUES U.S. SHIFTED FROM LEGAL & HUMAN RIGHTS TO EGO-MORALITY & NATIONAL INTEREST JUSTIFICATIONS.

Chronological Term

1991 - 2011

Research Call Number

JFE 16-9792

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