An Analysis Of The Post-Cold War Military Intervention

Military intervention is a kind of phenomenon or behavior in international relations, through intervening into other countries' affairs by using force with a view to changing the statue quo. It opposes to the basic principles of international laws that were formed gradually since the emergence of the modern nation system, such as principles of sovereignty, mutual non-intervention, prohibition of using or threat of using force, etc. There are various reasons for the present international legal system that has been unable to prevent sufficiently military intervention. Part of reasons is humanitarian crisis induced by the ethic problems, authoritarian politics, terrorism, as well as weapons proliferation after the Cold War. The other part of the problem, in a potential way, is the existing international legal system has failed to solve those crises. Meanwhile, after the Cold War, the international power structure has changed obviously. Some countries have possessed super power while receiving no constrains. Besides, the spread of neo-interventionism subjectively has promoted military intervention.Military intervention has clear legal and moral defects. Military intervention is not necessarily a policy must. From the perspective of intervener, the decision of intervention may be a rational behavior after cost/benefit calculation. In practice, the outlook of military intervention is for promoting the justice. But, its inner pursuit is to achieve the national interests. The military interventions in reality may not have been applied to where justice all called, but has shown their obvious selectiveness guided by national interest. Thus, justice is only the name that is actually for national interests. As a result, the military intervention loses its base to express justice because of such an interest-based guidance.Military intervention without justice is often put into practice by challenging and surpassing the present international legal system. This fact shows the problems of the authority and effectiveness of the present international legal system. At the same time, surpassing current international institution further diminishes the power of the system. In fact, the repeated practice of such behavior would demand the adjustment of the system. Looking at military interventions that surpass the current system, there have been both military action of a single country and joint operation of several states. Moreover, an intervener would often incorporate military actions with political pressure and economic sanctions as supplementary measure, so the interventions would became a combined effort. That is to say, the conveners' pursuit of overall objectives could be clearly observed in the particular operations of military interventions.Military intervention is not a process purely using force. It is also influenced by the intervener's political goals. To see from its result, military interventions could almost effectively stop the crises, but would bring out more new problems at the same time. The true peaceful and stable situation might not appear subsequently. Military intervention would likely enhance an intervener's influence and control over the area...