9MILITARY REVIEW September-October 2012
Colonel Thomas W. McShane, J.D., U.S. Army, Retired
Colonel Thomas W. McShane is
a supervisory associate professor
with the U.S. Army Command and
General Staff College. He holds a
B.A. from Wabash College, a J.D. from
Pepperdine University, and an M.S.S.
from the U.S. Army War College. He
served in Operation Desert Storm,
the Kosovo campaign, on the Army
Staff, and on the faculties of the Judge
Advocate General’s School and the
U.S. Army War College.
PHOTO: Berliners tear down the Berlin
Wall under the gaze of East German
“Vopo” (police). On the night of 9
November 1989, the border separating
East and West Germany was officially
opened, thus symbolising the end
of the Cold War. West Berlin, West
Germany, 11 November 1989. (Sipa
via AP Images)
I
N THE TWO decades since the Cold War ended, idealism has dominated
international relations.
1
International organizations such as the United
Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and liberal democratic
states have aggressively promoted democratic values, human rights, and global
stability. International law has been the instrument of choice to advance this
liberal agenda.
Toward this end, three clear lines of effort stand out:
● A series of multilateral treaties to restrict various means of warfare, i.e.,
land mines and cluster munitions.
● International efforts under the auspices of the United Nations to promote
stability and keep the peace, including coalition military campaigns with tacit
or explicit UN support, e.g., the Gulf War, Bosnia, East Timor, and Kosovo.
● A network of international courts designed to bring international wrongdo-
ers to justice when their states would not or could not do so, e.g., international
tribunals for Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Cambodia, and Sierra Leone. In 2002 the
International Criminal Court was established to eventually replace these ad
hoc tribunals.
While these efforts have achieved some significant successes, even liber-
als will concede that the results are dwarfed by the costs and unanticipated
consequences of their agenda.
At the same time, other events, notably the U.S.-led War on Terrorism, dem-
onstrated that powerful individual states can pursue their national self-interests
without international or UN approval. The United States sought international
legitimacy for its efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq and welcomed coalition sup-
port but did not hesitate to act alone when necessary. Sovereignty remains a
resilient, powerful force in international relations. Other strong-willed states
But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest
our hearts, for democracy . . . for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal dominion of right . . .
as shall bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world at last free.
— President Woodrow Wilson, Speech to Congress, 2 April 1917
Just War and Realpolitik in Our Time
In Search of the Good War
