The Purpose of Intervention

Finnemore examines changes over the past 400 years about why countries intervene militarily as well as in the ways they have intervened.

Martha Finnemore is University Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at The George Washington University. She is the author of National Interests in International Society and coauthor, with Michael Barnett, of Rules for the World: International Organizations in Global Politics (both from Cornell).

Martha Finnemore argues that the reasons and meanings behind military intervention, as well as the ways in which it is carried out, have changed dramatically over the history of the states system.... The Purpose of Intervention should be read by all serious students of international relations and practitioners of foreign policy. It is a provocative, well-argued, and concisely written book on what is arguably the most timeless and central issue in the discipline, the use of force.

Writing a book on intervention and international order is a mammoth task that Finnemore has carried out with panache and admirable skill, and her ability to weave in theoretical assertions makes for a broader contribution to the international relations field. Some very important insights are made, such as those regarding the interconnectedness of intervention and nation-building. The text is readable, yet it provides for some controversy, making it suitable for readers from undergraduate to professorial level.

Why states intervene at all—how and why 'saving strangers' is now viewed favorably—is explored in Martha Finnemore's valuable book. Finnemore traces the emerging concern with human security, namely, the growing acceptance of new norms about who is human and our obligations to such people.

In this superb inquiry into the reasons states use force abroad, Martha Finnemore looks at military intervention over the past four centuries and concludes that the objectives of powerful states have evolved considerably.... She breaks new ground in showing the link between state power and purpose.

The Purpose of Intervention aims to describe how changing beliefs have influenced states' willingness to intervene forcibly in other states, and it seeks to generate a set of hypotheses about the processes by which social purpose can evolve in world politics.... Finnemore succeeds in challenging conventional views of the use of force and advancing research on international norms and social purpose. The breadth of evidence and theoretical innovation make this an important book worthy of wide attention.

Jeffrey W. Legro, University of Virginia:

Martha Finnemore has a keen eye for fascinating historical developments. Conceptually, she is a big thinker and she has the historical knowledge and intuition to support her ideas. This is a timely book and all indications are that it will remain so.

Elizabeth Kier, University of Washington:

In exploring how perceptions of utility and legitimacy are intertwined in changing patterns of military intervention, Martha Finnemore has once again broadened our understanding of one of the fundamental aspects of world politics. This rich and provocative book is certain to generate broad interest and debate.