Rethinking Humanitarian Intervention

“To stop history from repeating itself, Brian Lepard's guide offers a clear legal road map for humanitarian intervention. He draws principles from international law and religious texts to help interveners solve ethical conflicts between human rights and national sovereignty, the use of force and peaceful conflict resolution, or effective intervention and remaining impartial.”

—Economist

“The outcome of Prof. Lepard’s considerations is enormously significant.

In making an explicit connection between international human rights law and religion, Prof. Lepard has taken this trend to the next level.”

—One Country

“A monumental accomplishment. . . . The strength of the book . . . is Lepard’s analysis of ethical and religious traditions, and his meticulous connection of these traditions’ imperatives to key provisions in the UN Charter.”

—Peter J. Hoffman Ethics and International Affairs

“This treatise is methodologically sound, informative, and well-researched.”

—Itai Sneh Political Science Quarterly

“Lepard’s timely book touches on . . . the role religion might play in resolving conflicts involving human rights violations.”

—Victoria Barnett Christian Century

“Overall, Lepard’s book represents a major and creative effort to come to terms with complex legal and ethical dilemmas posed by humanitarian intervention. The analysis will be of considerable interest to anyone seeking insights into these dilemmas.”

—David Wippman American Journal of International Law

“This is a work that is really not like anything before and that should be read to be appreciated.”

—OJPCR: The Online Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution

“Brian Lepard brings a massive research effort to bear in support of his fresh approach to humanitarian intervention. By relying on a blend of ethics, religion, and law, this study challenges the validity of both realism and liberalism as the basis for policy and interpretation in international relations. An excellent book that deserves a wide readership and much discussion.”

—Richard Falk,Princeton University

“Lepard provides a fresh exploration of legal and moral justifications for humanitarian intervention. . . . He opens new analytic vistas and provides a foundation for resolving conflicts over the content of the law. He applies the framework in masterly examinations of intervention in Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, and Kosovo. Rarely do we see an author sustain as much sensitivity to opposing arguments while constructing a strong ethical basis for shaping diplomacy, ethics, and international law. This is a ground-breaking and, in its moral sweep, even a breath-taking book.”

—Robert C. Johansen,University of Notre Dame