Defending The West

by Gow, James

• ISBN13: 9780745632346
• ISBN10: 0745632343
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-12-10
• Publisher: Polity

Summary

What is the West? Why does it need to be defended? From what, by whom, and how? These are thorny questions that international society must grapple with in order to meet the security challenges of the 21st Century. This little book provides answers to these questions. In it, James Gow sends out a clarion call for a radical re-interpretation of the right of self-defence within the terms of international law and international politics. The world is a wonderful, but dangerous place. There are any number of threats to peace and security, ranging from new forms of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to environmental degradation, famine and disease. Defending the West matters to everyone, regardless of colour, creed, or nationality. It matters to those who are seeking to destroy it as much as it does to those seeking to protect it. Defence of the West requires pre-emptive action, but it cannot be undertaken on a unilateral basis and outside the law. Instead of outlawing pre-emptive action, we must acknowledge that it is necessary and ensure that it can be taken in a framework of partnership and legitimacy.

Author Biography

James Gow is Professor of International Peace and Security at King's College, London.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Abbreviations	xii
1 Introduction	1	(19)
Pre-Emption: Real Need or Dangerous Fantasy?	3	(4)
Defining the West: Delineating the West	7	(3)
Defining the West: Defending the West	10	(7)
The Book	17	(3)
2 Theory	20	(17)
Realism and the Rest	20	(6)
Constructivist Realism	26	(11)
3 Order	37	(22)
The Post-Cold War Sovereignty Revolution	38	(6)
Stratified Stability: From Disorder to Order	44	(3)
Layering Stability: The Evolution of the Sovereign State System	47	(6)
Stratifying Stability: Borders and Beyond	53	(6)
4 Threats	59	(19)
Physical Threats	60	(11)
Stability Threats	71	(7)
5 Alliance	78	(21)
The Evolutionary Alliance	80	(2)
The Alliance Transformed	82	(5)
The European Dimension: Illusion, Invention and the Indispensable	87	(4)
The Euroatlantic Order	91	(3)
US Leadership, European Capability and Responsible Action	94	(5)
6 Partnership	99	(19)
Productive Partnership and Constructive Engagement	101	(4)
Partnership, Engagement and Stability	105	(7)
Strategic Flexibility: Operational and Political	112	(6)
7 Pre-emption	118	(30)
Iraq 2003: The Basis for Action and the Shadow of Pre-emption	120	(3)
New Bearings in Self-Defence for the Twenty-first Century: The Need for Pre-emption	123	(8)
Intelligence, Legitimacy and the Boundaries of the Self-Defence Revolution	131	(10)
Conclusion	141	(7)
Notes	148	(17)
Bibliography	165	(11)
Index	176