Being and becoming: Humanitarian intervention and the constructed duty of justice

Malcolm, Claire 2009. Being and becoming: Humanitarian intervention and the constructed duty of justice. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.

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Abstract

Debates concerning international justice are now integral to the discipline of international relations. Among the most pressing of these ethical and legal dilemmas is the matter of whether the use of force can be justified for humanitarian purposes, or for the protection of human rights. Although a wealth of theorists have taken aim at this issue, it is the contention of this thesis that only the 'ontology of becoming' (an idea which is traced through all branches of constructivist theorising) boasts the conceptual and analytical force to successfully and thoroughly appraise the relationship between humanitarian intervention and international justice. In developing this claim, this thesis seeks to hybridise constructivism with a number of other theories which employ the arguments associated with the ontology of becoming, including: cosmopolitanism, communitarianism, solidarism and feminism. The purpose of this process is to demonstrate the ways in which this branch of international relations theory can both enrich, and be enriched by an account of what might be thought of as a 'constructed duty of justice'. Ultimately, this thesis asserts that adherence to the requirement of institutional feasibility dictated by the ontology of becoming necessarily limits the agenda for the reform of international society. However, those normative developments which can withstand the restrictions brought to bear by the consensual nature of international politics do provide the means for international society to advance, albeit incrementally and inconsistently, toward an increasingly prominent role for considerations of justice.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Department of Politics and International Relations (POLIR)
Subjects:	J Political Science > JC Political theory K Law > K Law (General)
ISBN:	9781303218040
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2016 02:59
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/54967

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