Mission Accomplished? : The Crisis of International Intervention by Simon Jenkins ebook DOC
9781784531324 English 1784531324 From Vietnam to Syria, politicians, commentators and journalists have argued both for and against intervention, whether military or humanitarian. Simon Jenkins here presents a provocative and wide-ranging survey of the history of--and the arguments surrounding--intervention in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria. Do nations intervene because of right and wrong? Is Western intervention simply a form of 'imperialism-lite'? When is intervention justified? Jenkins traces the evolution of 'liberal interventionism' and shows that scepticism towards it came and comes not just from a growing perception of its failure. Instead, he argues that the past few decades can be characterised as an age of intervention, displaying worrying signs of merely laundering old-fashioned western imperialism and bordering at times on a crusader complex. In the face of recent conflicts--particularly in the Ukraine and with the rise of Islamic State--what can we learn from the miscalculations, mistakes and mendacity of 'the age of intervention'?, Why do politicians send troops to foreign soil, to fight battles they rarely win? Is it old-fashioned imperialism tainted with a crusader complex? Or is the West a partisan for the helpless? The fall of the Soviet Union left the West aimless. With no conflicting dogma to reinforce its sense of justice, the West assumed the role of global policeman - aid graduated from charitable to economic and, finally, military. Ideological struggle was replaced by a vague and confused concept of international justice, shrouded in realpolitik. Yet scepticism now pervades the interventionist debate. Simon Jenkins traces the rise of 'liberal interventionism' from Kosovo and the 'War on Terror' to present-day conflicts in Libya, Syria and Ukraine, asking: what can we learn from the miscalculations, mistakes and mendacity of 'the age of intervention'? As ISIS sweeps through the Middle East, calls for a military solution are increasing. By exposing interventionist rhetoric and highlighting past mistakes, Jenkins gives us an invaluable contribution to the active and essential debate on the West's role in global conflicts. Book jacket.
9781784531324 English 1784531324 From Vietnam to Syria, politicians, commentators and journalists have argued both for and against intervention, whether military or humanitarian. Simon Jenkins here presents a provocative and wide-ranging survey of the history of--and the arguments surrounding--intervention in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria. Do nations intervene because of right and wrong? Is Western intervention simply a form of 'imperialism-lite'? When is intervention justified? Jenkins traces the evolution of 'liberal interventionism' and shows that scepticism towards it came and comes not just from a growing perception of its failure. Instead, he argues that the past few decades can be characterised as an age of intervention, displaying worrying signs of merely laundering old-fashioned western imperialism and bordering at times on a crusader complex. In the face of recent conflicts--particularly in the Ukraine and with the rise of Islamic State--what can we learn from the miscalculations, mistakes and mendacity of 'the age of intervention'?, Why do politicians send troops to foreign soil, to fight battles they rarely win? Is it old-fashioned imperialism tainted with a crusader complex? Or is the West a partisan for the helpless? The fall of the Soviet Union left the West aimless. With no conflicting dogma to reinforce its sense of justice, the West assumed the role of global policeman - aid graduated from charitable to economic and, finally, military. Ideological struggle was replaced by a vague and confused concept of international justice, shrouded in realpolitik. Yet scepticism now pervades the interventionist debate. Simon Jenkins traces the rise of 'liberal interventionism' from Kosovo and the 'War on Terror' to present-day conflicts in Libya, Syria and Ukraine, asking: what can we learn from the miscalculations, mistakes and mendacity of 'the age of intervention'? As ISIS sweeps through the Middle East, calls for a military solution are increasing. By exposing interventionist rhetoric and highlighting past mistakes, Jenkins gives us an invaluable contribution to the active and essential debate on the West's role in global conflicts. Book jacket.