Reading Humanitarian Intervention: Human Rights and the Use of Force in International Law (Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law, Series Number 30)

Anne Orford is Assistant Professor in Melbourne University's Law School. This fine book is good at destroying illusions, but short on proposals for changing things. During the 1990s, advocates of humanitarian intervention promised a world in which democracy, self-determination and human rights would trump national interests and imperial ambitions. Orford examines and refutes claims by governments and international institutions that their use of force for humane ends is good for the peoples that are supposedly being saved. She undermines their claims of prior innocence and selfless intervention. She shows how "The international community is already profoundly engaged in shaping the structure of political, social, economic and cultural life in many states through the activities of, inter alia, international economic institutions. Indeed, intervention in the name of humanitarianism too readily provides an alibi for the continued involvement of those interested in exploiting and controlling the resources and people of target states." As she notes, "the opposition between collective humanitarian intervention and inactivity is a false one. The international community had already intervened on a large scale in Yugoslavia and Rwanda before the security crises erupted, through the activities of international economic institutions and development agencies." She describes how the IMF `restructured' Yugoslavia by imposing cuts in wages and services. She notes, "the post-intervention administration and reconstruction of territories by the international community in turn entrenches an unjust international economic order and a neo-colonial mode of governance." She shows how the current forms of administration, like the post-World War One mandates for the colonies of the defeated powers are a variant of colonialism, not a departure from it. The Peace Implementation Council, not Bosnia's people, runs Bosnia. She concludes, "The principal lesson we should have learned from Yugoslavia or Rwanda was, in other words, not primarily that we need a UN rapid deployment force, but that intellectuals and activists should lobby their government's representatives and directors to oppose support for this model of economic liberalisation and marketisation in Eastern Europe." Speaking just to `intellectuals and activists', she can only urge a `lobby' of governments that are committed to exploiting and ruling other countries. Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 4 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Preface......Page 9 The era of humanitarian intervention......Page 13 Action and inaction......Page 26 Law and empire......Page 30 The promise of humanitarian intervention......Page 46 2 Misreading the texts of international law......Page 50 Legal theory and postcolonialism......Page 52 Disciplining feminism......Page 68 Feminist criticism and the axiomatics of imperialism......Page 75 Errant theory – feminist readings of intervention......Page 78 The power of international law......Page 83 3 Localizing the other: the imaginative geography of humanitarian intervention......Page 94 The restructuring of Yugoslavia......Page 99 The development of Rwanda......Page 108 The place of the international in a globalized economy......Page 122 Engaging with the international......Page 132 The cartography of intervention......Page 135 4 Self-determination after intervention: the international community and post-conflict reconstruction......Page 138 Self-determination in an age of intervention – a tale of two territories......Page 139 Staging democracy in Bosnia-Herzegovina......Page 141 Charity and pedagogy – the reconstruction of East Timor......Page 146 Self-determination after colonialism......Page 152 Imagining self-determination......Page 155 The autonomous self......Page 159 The act of determination......Page 163 5 The constitution of the international community: colonial stereotypes and humanitarian narratives......Page 170 Reading heroic narratives......Page 172 Disruption of the established order......Page 174 ‘Knights in White Armour’......Page 177 Symbols of helplessness......Page 183 Fear of powerlessness......Page 187 Reaffirmation of the existing order......Page 189 Violence and narrativ pleasure......Page 190 Insecure identification: the productivity of colonial stereotypes......Page 192 6 Dreams of human rights......Page 198 The end of the human rights era?......Page 199 The haunting of humanitarian intervention......Page 215 The space of human rights......Page 224 Bibliography......Page 232 Index......Page 248 Half-title 3 Series-title 4 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Preface 9 1 Watching East Timor 13 The era of humanitarian intervention 13 Action and inaction 26 Law and empire 30 The promise of humanitarian intervention 46 2 Misreading the texts of international law 50 Legal theory and postcolonialism 52 The imperial feminist 68 Disciplining feminism 68 Feminist criticism and the axiomatics of imperialism 75 Errant theory – feminist readings of intervention 78 The power of international law 83 3 Localizing the other: the imaginative geography of humanitarian intervention 94 Representations of the international 99 The restructuring of Yugoslavia 99 The development of Rwanda 108 The place of the international in a globalized economy 122 Engaging with the international 132 The cartography of intervention 135 4 Self-determination after intervention: the international community and post-conflict reconstruction 138 Self-determination in an age of intervention – a tale of two territories 139 Staging democracy in Bosnia-Herzegovina 141 Charity and pedagogy – the reconstruction of East Timor 146 Self-determination after colonialism 152 Imagining self-determination 155 The autonomous self 159 The act of determination 163 5 The constitution of the international community: colonial stereotypes and humanitarian narratives 170 Reading heroic narratives 172 Disruption of the established order 174 ‘Knights in White Armour’ 177 Symbols of helplessness 183 Fear of powerlessness 187 Reaffirmation of the existing order 189 Violence and narrativ pleasure 190 Insecure identification: the productivity of colonial stereotypes 192 6 Dreams of human rights 198 The end of the human rights era? 199 The haunting of humanitarian intervention 215 The space of human rights 224 Bibliography 232 Index 248 During The 1990s, Humanitarian Intervention Seemed To Promise A World In Which Democracy, Self-determination And Human Rights Would Be Privileged Over National Interests Or Imperial Ambitions. Orford Provides Critical Readings Of The Narratives That Accompanied Such Interventions And Shaped Legal Justifications For The Use Of Force By The International Community. Through A Close Reading Of Legal Texts And Institutional Practice, She Argues That A Far More Circumscribed, Exploitative And Conservative Interpretation Of The Ends Of Intervention Was Adopted During This Period. The Book Draws On A Wide Range Of Sources, Including Critical Legal Theory, Feminist And Postcolonial Theory, Psychoanalytic Theory And Critical Geography, To Develop Ways Of Reading Directed At Thinking Through The Cultural And Economic Effects Of Militarised Humanitarianism. The Book Concludes By Asking What, If Anything, Has Been Lost In The Move From The Era Of Humanitarian Intervention To An International Relations Dominated By Wars On Terror.--book Jacket. Watching East Timor -- Misreading The Texts Of International Law -- Localizing The Other: The Imaginative Geography Of Humanitarian Intervention -- Self-determination After Humanitarian Intervention: The International Community And Post-conflict Reconstruction -- The Constitution Of The International Community: Colonial Stereotypes And Humanitarian Narrativies -- Dreams Of Human Rights. Anne Orford. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 220-235) And Index. During the 1990s, humanitarian intervention seemed to promise a world in which democracy, self-determination and human rights would be privileged over national interests or imperial ambitions. Orford provides critical readings of the narratives that accompanied such interventions and shaped legal justifications for the use of force by the international community. Through a close reading of legal texts and institutional practice, she argues that a far more circumscribed, exploitative and conservative interpretation of the ends of intervention was adopted during this period. The book draws on a wide range of sources, including critical legal theory, feminist and postcolonial theory, psychoanalytic theory and critical geography, to develop ways of reading directed at thinking through the cultural and economic effects of militarized humanitarianism. The book concludes by asking what, if anything, has been lost in the move from the era of humanitarian intervention to an international relations dominated by wars on terror. During the 1990s, humanitarian intervention seemed to promise a world in which human rights would be privileged over national interests or imperial ambitions. Orford provides critical readings of the narratives that accompanied such interventions and shaped legal justifications for the use of force by the international community. Through a close reading of legal texts and institutional practice, she argues that a far more circumscribed, exploitative and conservative interpretation of the ends of intervention was adopted during this period. The book draws on a wide range of sources, including critical legal theory, feminist and postcolonial theory, psychoanalytic theory and critical geography, to develop ways of reading directed at thinking through the cultural and economic effects of militarised humanitariansim. The book concludes by asking what, if anything, has been lost in the moce from the era of humanitarian intervention to an international relations dominated by wars on terror Humanitarian intervention seemed to promise a world in which human rights would be privileged over national interests or imperial ambitions during the 1990s. This book argues that humanitarian intervention had far more exploitative effects and draws on feminist, postcolonial, legal and psychoanalytic theory to provide an innovative reading of the narratives accompanying humanitarian intervention, a field which has received very little critical analysis. It concludes by considering what has been lost in the transference of concerns from humanitarian intervention to the war on terror. During the 1990s, humanitarian intervention seemed to promise a world in which human rights would be privileged over national interests or imperial ambitions. Orford argues that humanitarian intervention had far more exploitative effects. What, if anything, has been lost in the move from humanitarian intervention to the war on terror? As I began writing this book during the early days of September 1999, hundreds of thousands of Australians were taking to the streets, marching under banners proclaiming 'Indonesia out, peacekeepers in'.