Humanitäre Interventionen

How can developing states be won over for a norm of humanitarian intervention that compromises state sovereignty? Drawing on the pragmatist social theory of George H. Mead, this study develops a novel concept of normative change: It is not the adoption of, and sozialization into, (Western) norms through which normative change proceeds, but rather the learning of new roles of friendly international cooperation. In the empirical part, the study analyses five major humanitarian interventions since 1990. Its account of the role of developing countries (China, Arab League, Organisation for African Unity/African Union) in the diplomacy of humanitarian interventions is the most comprehensive so far. In all cases in which Western states exercised self-restraint and thus invited cooperation, there was significant normative progress. This means that a liberal-democratic world order has its real foundation not so much in shared values, but in successfull, case-specific international cooperation.