Military Intervention after the Cold War
The Evolution of Theory and Practice

“Talentino does a wonderful job of outlining the theory and applying its central tenets to a wide range of ethnic conflicts. International humanitarian workers, policymakers, military leaders, and government officials will find the book useful.”

Sean Byrne, author of Reconcilable Differences: Turning Points in Ethnopolitical Conflicts

For hundreds of years, military intervention in another country was considered taboo and prohibited by international law. Since 1992, intervention has often been described as an international responsibility, and efforts have been made to give it legal justification. This extraordinary change in perceptions has taken place in only the space of a decade.

Military Intervention after the Cold War: The Evolution of Theory and Practice explores how and why this change took place, looking at how both ideas and actions changed in the post-Cold War period to make military intervention a tool of international security and a defining characteristic of the international system. Although intervention is often touted as a strategy to rebuild collapsed states, successful interventions are rare. Andrea Kathryn Talentino argues that standards of human rights and responsible governance have become part of the definition of international security. She addresses questions that are vital in the post-9/11 world, where weak and collapsed states are recognized as permissive and at times supportive environments for criminal actors.

The specter of terrorism has further emphasized the need to understand why military intervention is undertaken and how it could be more effective. Scholars, graduate and undergraduate students, and readers interested in understanding global interdependence will find Military Intervention after the Cold War an indispensable book.

Andrea Kathryn Talentino is an associate professor of international relations at Drew University, Morristown, New Jersey. The author of numerous articles on military intervention and post-conflict rebuilding, she is currently focusing on the link between nation building and political violence.   More info →