Blair, Neo-Conservatism and The War on Territorial Integrity

Author: Elden, Stuart

Source: International Politics, Volume 44, Number 1, January 2007 , pp. 37-57(21)

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Abstract:

This essay uses the war on Iraq and in particular the legal advice of the British Attorney General to explore two tensions.¹ The first is between Blair's foreign policy with its `ethical dimension' and call for humanitarian intervention by the international community and the project of the neo-conservatives in the US. The second is in the notion of territorial integrity, which means both the idea of territorial preservation and that within this territory a state is sovereign. The war on Iraq, which violated territorial sovereignty, was fought against a backdrop of preserving the existing territorial settlement, especially regarding the Kurds. While Blair and the neo-conservatives share an argument against territorial sovereignty as an unconditioned absolute, and hold a belief in the need for territorial stability, their positions differ on the mechanisms needed. Blair strove for an internationalist position; the neo-conservatives argue for US exceptionalism. Ultimately though, faced with a decision, Blair joined the US in violating a sovereign state's territorial integrity without international support.International Politics (2007) 44, 37-57. doi:10.1057/palgrave.ip.8800157

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ip.8800157

Affiliations: 1: aGeography Department, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK., Email: stuart.elden@durham.ac.uk

Publication date: 2007-01-01