Nijhoff Law Specials, International Law and the United States Military Intervention in the Western HemisphereMartinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1997 M05 30 - 148 pages This study tackles a controversial topic in international law and contemporary international relations, namely, the legality of intervention by a major power against weaker states within the same geographic region. Specifically, the author examines the practice of United States intervention in the Western Hemisphere, with particular emphasis on the relationship between the United States and its Latin American and Caribbean neighbours. The work highlights six cases of U.S. intervention-Guatemala in 1954, Cuba in 1961, the Dominican Republic in 1965, Grenada in 1983, Nicaragua in 1985, and Panama in 1989. In each case the United States arguably violated international law and the sovereignty of the states involved but claimed it had a right to intervene to protect the lives of its nationals or to defend its national security against an external threat. These cases amply demonstrate the conflict between international law on the one hand, and regional norms, power politics, and political doctrines on the other. They also illustrate how international law can be manipulated to advance the foreign policy goals of a major power. The author adopts an interdisciplinary approach, combining international law, political doctrines, international relations theory and historical antecedents, to provide a better understanding of the relationship between a major power and its subordinates and of the relevance of international law in such a relationship. |
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aggression American nationals argued armed attack Article 2(4 Article 51 authority Bush Administration Caribbean claim Cold War collective self-defense communist condemned Conference Court Court's ruling crisis Cuba Cuban customary international law declared defense Dept diplomatic dispute Dominican Republic drug trafficking Dulles economic election enforcement action European foreign nationals further Governor-General Guatemala Haiti Haitian Ibid illegal Inter-American internal affairs international communism intervened in Panama intervention in Grenada invasion invitation ISBN issue jurisdiction justify Latin American legitimate military intervention missiles Monroe Doctrine national security neighbors Nicaragua non-intervention Noriega norms OAS Charter overthrow Panama Canal Treaties peace and security political President Bush principle protect quarantine Reagan Administration rebels regional organization relations request restore democracy right to intervene Sandinista Secretary Security Council sovereignty Soviet Union Statement supra note territory threat tion troops U.N. Charter U.S. intervention U.S. policy unilateral United Nations Charter United States action United States intervention vention Western Hemisphere