The Purpose of Intervention: Changing Beliefs About the Use of Forces - Hardcover

Martha Finnemore

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 817049205X ISBN 13: 9788170492054

Publisher: Manas Publications, 2005

Synopsis

Violence or the potential for violence is a fact of human existence. Many societies, including our own, reward martial success or skill at arms. The ways in which members of a particular society use force reveal a great deal about the nature of authority within the group and about its members' priorities.

In The Purpose of Intervention, Martha Finnemore uses one type of force, military intervention, as a window onto the shifting character of international society. She examines the changes, over the past 400 years, about why countries intervene militarily, as well as in the ways they have intervened. It is not the fact of intervention that has altered, she says, but rather the reasons for and meaning behind intervention―the conventional understanding of the purposes for which states can and should use force.

Finnemore looks at three types of intervention: collecting debts, addressing humanitarian crises, and acting against states perceived as threats to international peace. In all three, she finds that what is now considered "obvious" was vigorously contested or even rejected by people in earlier periods for well-articulated and logical reasons. A broad historical perspective allows her to explicate long-term trends: the steady erosion of force's normative value in international politics, the growing influence of equality norms in many aspects of global political life, and the increasing importance of law in intervention practices.

About this title

Review:

"Why states intervene at all―how and why 'saving strangers' is now viewed favorably―is explored in Martha Finnemore's valuable book. Finnemore traces the emerging concern with human security, namely, the growing acceptance of new norms about who is human and our obligations to such people."―Boston Review

"The Purpose of Intervention aims to describe how changing beliefs have influenced states' willingness to intervene forcibly in other states, and it seeks to generate a set of hypotheses about the processes by which social purpose can evolve in world politics. . . . Finnemore succeeds in challenging conventional views of the use of force and advancing research on international norms and social purpose. The breadth of evidence and theoretical innovation make this an important book worthy of wide attention."―Ethics and International Affairs

"Writing a book on intervention and international order is a mammoth task that Finnemore has carried out with panache and admirable skill, and her ability to weave in theoretical assertions makes for a broader contribution to the international relations field. Some very important insights are made, such as those regarding the interconnectedness of intervention and nation-building. The text is readable, yet it provides for some controversy, making it suitable for readers from undergraduate to professorial level."―History

"In this superb inquiry into the reasons states use force abroad, Martha Finnemore looks at military intervention over the past four centuries and concludes that the objectives of powerful states have evolved considerably. . . . She breaks new ground in showing the link between state power and purpose."―Foreign Affairs

"Martha Finnemore argues that the reasons and meanings behind military intervention, as well as the ways in which it is carried out, have changed dramatically over the history of the states system. . . . The Purpose of Intervention should be read by all serious students of international relations and practitioners of foreign policy. It is a provocative, well-argued, and concisely written book on what is arguably the most timeless and central issue in the discipline, the use of force."―International Journal

"Martha Finnemore has a keen eye for fascinating historical developments. Conceptually, she is a big thinker and she has the historical knowledge and intuition to support her ideas. This is a timely book and all indications are that it will remain so."―Jeffrey W. Legro, University of Virginia

"In exploring how perceptions of utility and legitimacy are intertwined in changing patterns of military intervention, Martha Finnemore has once again broadened our understanding of one of the fundamental aspects of world politics. This rich and provocative book is certain to generate broad interest and debate."―Elizabeth Kier, University of Washington

Synopsis:

Uses military intervention as a window onto the shifting character of international society. This also looks at three types of intervention, the conventional understanding of the purposes for which states can and should use force.

About this edition

• Publisher: Manas Publications
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 817049205X
• ISBN 13: 9788170492054
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 182