ABSTRACT
The essays in this volume were written against the backdrop of an international humanitarian order that was simultaneously expanding dramatically and registering growing concerns and doubts. In this respect, they mirror a dominant narrative of the post-Cold War period: those who had long been championing for a world that cared as much about humanity as it did sovereignty began to wonder about the kind of world that was being created in the name of humanity. There are many ways to explain these highs and lows, including the simple fact that inflated notions of the “international community” will always disappoint and grandiose boasts such as a “responsibility to protect” without the appropriate muscle will always sound like cheap talk. Yet this contrapuntal rhythm might also result from tensions that are intrinsic to the international humanitarian order, a possibility I want to address in this concluding essay.
