The Theory and Reality of New Western International Intervention

As international interference incidents augment in many regions of the world, the issue of international interference came fore more prominently in the academy and international law researches. Currently, we can observe multifarious forms international interventions, and their impacts on the international developments are obvious and increasingly influential.

Since international interventions take a myriad of forms in terms of their goals, methods employed and assume different properties, it is not easy to generalize them. Although, some international interventions can never be justified from the aspects of the law and international norms, it should be admitted that some international interventions have reasonable grounds, and play benign and constructive roles, and the latter are properly authorized by the UN Security Council, they prevent evil incidents, safeguard justice and peace, thus lives, security and rights of many people are guaranteed. This kind of intervention, most of the time, take peaceful forms, deploying peacekeeping troops to prevent violence from further escalation.

On the other hand, irrational interventions are viewed as ad hoc, counterproductive and illegitimate interventions, they are not authorized by the UN Security Council, or go beyond its authorization stipulations, thereby bypass the international law and institutions, and serve the narrow interests of certain states or groups, this type of interventions sometimes employ non-violent ways such as economic and political sanctions, embargoes and containment of a country, but mostly resort to military forces, heavy bombing and shelling and even overthrow the current regime, replace the government and promote their own allies ascending to power.

Looking from a rational historical view, the increasing demands for international intervention can be seen an important manifestation of human progress, because human beings share the same dwelling space--our earth--and mankind cannot stand idly by or stand aside when other humans are suffering and their lives are threatened, which require the interference of international aid and support.

But, if the illegitimate international interventions go rampant, then it will cause great harm, since such interventions, no matter under which holy banner, are bound to serve the selfish interests of a group of states or their strategic aims, whereas other nations and people become their victims. It also worth mentioning that international interventions by the major Western powers are increasingly spreading, and some states in collusion strive to use loopholes of UN authorizations, mislead the international community, and pressure the UN Security Council, to get approvals for interventions, and even we observe that some states bypass the UN and arbitrarily launch military operations targeting other countries and even attempt regime changes. Western interventionists have invented and developed abundant concepts and theories to justify their intentions and actions. In this way they attempt to dress the irrational international intervention under a "reasonable" cloak. At the same time, such interventionism sides with the strong against the weak, consequently, weaker nations are put under double pressure, practically and theoretically, thus losers are victimized and demonized, acts of the strong and illegitimate are presented as "natural" rights, resulting in the logic of the strong: the survival of the strongest.

In order to develop a comprehensive and deeper understanding of the theories and practices of Western international interventions, in 2011 the Institute of International Studies attached to Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has launched a topical research and analysis project entitled as "Theory and Reality of New Western International Intervention".