Selling a 'just' war Framing, legitimacy, and US military intervention

Butler sheds light on how American political leaders sell the decision to intervene with military force to the public and how a just war frame is employed in US foreign policy. He provides three post-Cold War examples of foreign policy crises: the Persian Gulf War (1990-91), Kosovo (1999), and Afghanistan (2001). Michael J. Butler uses Just War theory to analyze how the decision to go to war was framed for public consumption in three recent U.S. military interventions: the Gulf War, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. He shows how presenting operations as legitimate and virtuous has proven to be a highly salient, adaptable, and therefore effective mechanism for manufacturing societal support. This crucial component of foreign policy allows the President to sustain an effective monopoly over war decisions for the continued primacy of military force in U.S;Review: 'Michael Butler's book provides a fascinating look at the ways in which major U.S. military interventions since the end of the cold war have been framed as "just wars" for purposes of selling their legitimacy to domestic audiences. The in-depth examinations of the manner in which U.S. military interventions against Iraq, Serbia and Afghanistan were framed for domestic consumption are compelling and insightful.' - David Kinsella, Portland State University, USA 'With a truly novel and engaging analytical focus, Butler's impressive scholarly achievement foregrounds how US foreign policy elites have politicized Just War frames. With important theoretical insights and rock-solid case studies, this book will make an impact on the fields of IR theory, International Ethics, Foreign Policy Analysis and International Security.' -- Brent J. Steele, University of Kansas, USA 'Michael Butler shows for the first time how modern leaders utilise the Just War tradition and how these ancient ideas can enable - and sometimes inhibit - modern political action. Combining methodological rigour, a deep understanding of the ethical and political issues at stake and erudite reasoning, he takes the study of Just War thinking to a new level by showing how it operates in practice.' - Alex J. Bellamy, Griffith Asia Institute, Australia