The Makings of Modern Humanitarian Interventions: Interplay of Interests and Norms in the Kosovo Crisis

Abstract

Humanitarian interventions appear stuck in an extreme dichotomy: they are either self-interested or pinnacles of international morality. For some, the Kosovo Crisis represents a benign precedent for international ethics, and for others, a Western power grab. This article aims to break from the dichotomy by closely examining the motivations, rhetoric, and embedded structures behind the vital Kosovo case, so as to test the relevancy of traditional power assumptions. Realism offers a strong starting point. It interprets the actions of the Western hegemon as propelled by security interests, such as upholding NATO's credibility. Many accounts of the crisis, however, reveal the limitations of a norms-free realist perspective. I conclude that normative dimensions and national interests can co-exist within international calls for humanitarian missions, and such dual interactions may even make it easier for a humanitarian military intervention to occur. These interactions may prove imperative to understanding contemporary military interventions.