Deadline extended: 15.9.2011
FROM PREVENTION TO STABILITY? MILITARY HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE.
Cfp: Special issue of the Journal of Genocide Research (The official journal of the International Network of Genocide Scholars (INoGS; http://www.inogs.com).
Guest editor: Juergen Zimmerer (University of Hamburg)
CALL FOR PAPERS
Military Humanitarian Intervention (MHI) plays a pivotal role in mainstream concepts of the prevention of genocide. Once genocidal crisis occur or are identified (by early warning systems, for example), it is hoped that the use of military force will restrain the perpetrator or stop violence. In this way, so the common view, not only can genocide be prevented, but long lasting stability and peace established. As the motives are humanitarian and therefore enjoy broad support, world public opinion can be taken for granted. Who objects to the good cause, it is said, forfeits moral authority, and his/her opinion can therefore be dismissed.
History tells a different story. Military interventions do not automatically create even medium term stability even if they succeed militarily in the first place, which many do not. They are by no means universally accepted; indeed, they are seen by some as neo-colonial in aim and praxis, because they are mostly carried out by Western powers. Because interventions only respond selectively to the many cases of gross human rights violations, and Western economic or strategic aims seem to be the distinguishing factor, the claimed moral universalism of MHI can be undermined. Anti-Western sentiments are even intensified in some quarters by resentment about ‘double-standards’.
Genocide prevention therefore needs to start by critically evaluating the tools it has at hand, and here MHI is at the forefront. The Journal of Genocide Research is therefore inviting contributions on this topic from scholars of all disciplines for a special issue edited by Jürgen Zimmerer (University of Hamburg). Articles on individual MHIs, which examine the humanitarian crises, the motives of the intervening powers, the strategic framework and the short, medium and long term consequences are particularly welcome as are articles with a comparative approach.
Please send proposals and a short cv to juergen.zimmerer@uni-hamburg.de. The deadline for proposals is 15 September 2011, and submissions are due on 31 June 2012. All submissions are subjected to the journal’s regular anonymous peer review process.