This book applies insights into the nature and impact of hope from medical studies and political philosophy to contemporary international politics. It shows how the promotion of hope was central to the rise of the West, focusing on the case of statebuilding in Kosovo – widely regarded as one of the most iconic Western initiatives in the unipolar era. The book explores the effects of hope on both the internationals charged with governing Kosovo and local residents, and how two related patho...

This book explains why there is a pronounced disjuncture between R2P's habitual invocation and its actual influence, and why it will not make the transformative progress its proponents claim. Rather than disputing that R2P is a norm, or declaring that norms are insignificant, Hehir engages with post-positivist constructivist accounts on the role of norms to demonstrate first, that the efficacy of a norm is not directly related to the extent to which it is proliferated or invoked, and secon...

How do we frame decisions to use or abstain from military force? Who should do the killing? Do we need new paradigms to guide the use of force? And what does “victory” mean in contemporary conflict?In many ways, these are timeless questions. But they should be revisited in light of changing circumstances in the twenty-first century. The post–Cold War, post-9/11 world is one of contested and fragmented sovereignty: contested because the norm of territorial integrity has shed some of...

This book, compiled in cooperation with the Institute of Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo, brings together renowned international scholars, legal practitioners, cultural analysts, and transitional justice experts to examine the Kosovo War (1998–1999) through multidisciplinary lenses. This collection provides an academically rigorous analysis of the crimes committed in Kosovo, exploring a range of issues including the destruction of cultural heritage, gender-based violence, legal c...

This book analyses efforts to achieve justice in Kosovo for victims of crimes committed during the conflict in the 1990s, relating this to broader debates on transitional justice.The war in Kosovo has come under the jurisdiction of a number of mechanisms which fit within the broader framework of transitional justice. These include international tribunals (the ICTY), international organisations with judicial mandates within Kosovo (UNMIK and EULEX), ad-hoc hybrid tribunals (the Koso...

This book examines the different ways in which the laws governing the use of force and the conduct of warfare have become subject to intense scrutiny and contestation since the initiation of the war on terror.Since the end of the Cold War, the nature of security challenges has changed radically and this change has been recognised by the UN, governments and academics around the world. The 911 attacks and the subsequent launch of the 'war on terror' added a new dimension to this deba...

This book contributes to current debates on the protection of human rights in the 21st century.With the global economic collapse, the rise of the BRICS, the post-intervention chaos in Libya, the migration crisis in Europe, and the regional conflagration sparked by the conflict in Syria, the need to protect human rights has arguably never been greater. In light of the precipitous decline in global respect for human rights and the eruption or escalation of intra-state crises across t...

This book examines international engagement with Kosovo since NATO’s intervention in 1999, and looks at the three distinct phases of Kosovo’s development; intervention, statebuilding and independence.Kosovo remains a case study of central importance in international relations, illustrative of key political trends in the post-Cold War era. During each phase, international policy towards Kosovo has challenged prevailing international norms and pushed the boundaries of conventional wi...

This study brings together internationally renowned academics to provide a detailed insight into the theory and practice of state-building.State-building is one of the dominant themes in contemporary international relations. This text addresses both the theoretical logic behind state-building and key practical manifestations of this phenomenon. Unlike ‘how-to’ manuals that seek to identify best practice, this book interrogates the normative assumptions inherent in this practice and...