Military Intervention as an International Normative Custom and Human Security

Abstract

Power equation, strife for supremacy, and the use of force (or non-use, thereof) reside at the very heart of international relations – the interplay between them adjusting with new realities. As the Cold War ended, new international normative customs were introduced in global relations – with international security relations witnessing two prototypal shifts. First, policymakers began embracing military intervention as a legitimate foreign policy tool on the plea of humanitarianism. Secondly, the human security approach was introduced to study matters related to security. Contrary to the traditional security approach (spun around state security), this new concept gave primacy to the protection of humans. This study will analyse how military interventions impact human security. The research will be carried out within the parameters of international security (conventional and non-conventional) and human security. In doing so, it will establish how interventions—led in the name of humanitarianism—unwittingly create international human security crises.