Eve of Destruction: The Coming Age of Preventive War (Hardcover)

by Thomas M. Nichols (Author)
Key Phrases: humanitarian intervention, preventive violence, preventive strikes, United States, Security Council, United Nations (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Thomas Nichols transcends sterile debates about Iraq and the Bush Doctrine and points instead to the fundamental erosion in two long-standing international norms: the inviolability of state sovereignty and the unacceptability of preventive war. These profound changes are driven by the very real threat of mass casualty suicide terrorism as well as humanitarian disasters and the problem of failed states. This is a smart, incisive, and important book."--Robert J. Lieber, Georgetown University

"Preventive war is here to stay. The question isn't whether but when and how force will be used preventively. That is the important message of this excellent book. Nichols provides the critical answers clearly and convincingly."--Ivo Daalder, Brookings Institution

Product Description

In an age of new threats to international security, the old rules of war are rapidly being discarded. The great powers are moving toward norms less restrictive of intervention, preemption, and preventive war. This evolution is taking place not only in the United States but also in many of the world's most powerful nations, including Russia, France, and Japan, among others. As centuries of tradition and law are overturned, will preventive warfare push the world into chaos?

Eve of Destruction is a provocative contribution to a growing international debate over the acceptance of preventive military action. In the first work to identify the trends that have led to a coming age of preventive war, Thomas M. Nichols uses historical analysis as well as interviews with military officials from around the world to trace the anticipatory use of force from the early 1990s--when the international community responded to a string of humanitarian crises in Somalia, Bosnia, and Kosovo--to today's current and potential actions against rogue states and terrorists. He makes a case for a bold reform of U.S. foreign policy, and of the United Nations Security Council itself, in order to avert outright anarchy.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (January 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812240669
• ISBN-13: 978-0812240665
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #659,892 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A better understanding of this strange tactic., May 5, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Preventative warfare- attacking someone because a nation believes they are about to commit an act of war. "Eve of Destruction: The Coming Age of Preventative War" looks at that concept and asks why is an act of war preventive to an act of war? A scholarly look at the United States in particular growing practice of acting on preventative measures and the ethics of such an act and how they break the world code that has maintained overall general peace in the world. A shocking and controversial look at United States Foreign policy, "Eve of Destruction: The Coming Age of Preventative War" is highly recommended for community library military and social issues collections and for anyone who wants a better understanding of this strange tactic.