Fighting for Rights: From Holy Wars to Humanitarian Military Interventions

by Tal Dingott Alkopher, Patrick Hayden, Tom Lansford

Overview

In the light of NATO's humanitarian war in Kosovo is it possible to understand or explain wars as an outcome of perceptions of rights? How did rights, be they divine rights in the Middle Ages, territorial rights in the eighteenth century, or human rights today, become something that people are willing to fight and die for? To answer these questions, this book explores the linkage between concepts of rights and the practice of war in the international arena, describing how normative structures of rights have shaped different practices of war from medieval to modern times, through the lens of social constructivism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472401205
Publisher:	Ashgate Publishing Ltd
Publication date:	04/28/2013
Series:	Ethics and Global Politics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments; Introduction; Chapter 1 The Role of Rights in Shaping International Wars; Chapter 2 Divine Right and the Crusades; Chapter 3 The Rights of States and the Territorial Wars of the Eighteenth Century; Chapter 4 NATO’s Military Humanitarian Intervention in Kosovo; Chapter 101 Conclusions;

Editorial Reviews

’This welcome addition to the growing stable of works exploring the role of ethical imperatives in decisions for war deftly weaves theory and history to demonstrate that leaders take rights seriously, even if the rights they take seriously evolve over time, and that rights are crucial signposts of international order. Rarely does one encounter such a cogent and nuanced blend of moral psychology and international relations theory.’ David A. Welch, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Canada ’Showing that conceptions of rights should be associated not only with human morality and entitlements, but also with the practice of war, this historically rich, sociologically sensitive, and methodologically competent book breaks new ground. A must read for everyone interested in the big picture of international relations during the last millennium.’ Emanuel Adler, University of Toronto, Canada 'The book is ambitious in empirical scope, with chapters ranging from the Crusades to the Seven Years’ War and to NATO’s intervention in Kosovo, among others treated at lesser length. Alkopher is successful in showing the usefulness of constructivist insights in interpreting these and other cases.' Perspectives on Politics

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