(Ebook) The United States and Great Power Responsibility in International Society: Drones, Rendition and Invasion by Wali Aslam ISBN 9780415644686, 0415644682

(Ebook) The United States and Great Power Responsibility in International Society: Drones, Rendition and Invasion by Wali Aslam ISBN 9780415644686, 0415644682

This book evaluates American foreign policy actions from the perspective of great power responsibility, with three case studies: Operation Iraqi Freedom, American drone strikes in Pakistan and the post- 9/11 practice of extraordinary rendition.

This book argues that the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, American drone attacks in Pakistan and the practice of extraordinary rendition are the examples of irresponsible actions undertaken by the U.S. acting as a great power in international society. Focusing on a major theoretical approach of International Relations, the English School, this book considers the responsibilities of great powers in international society. It points to three obligations of great powers: to act according to the norm of legality, to act according to the norm of legitimacy, and to adhere to the principles of prudence. The author applies the criteria of legality, legitimacy and prudence, to analyse the three foreign policy endeavours of the U.S., and, developing a normative framework, clarifies the implications for future U.S. foreign policy.

This book will be of strong interest to students and scholars of international relations, international relations theory, American politics, foreign policy studies, international law, South Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies.

---BOOK REVIEW---
The United States and Great Power Responsibility in International Society is a ground-breaking work, and makes three contributions to the literature on international relations and American foreign policy. First, it is innovative in conducting normative research on the ‘great power responsibility’ of the United States, and it adopts the pluralist wing of the international society perspective of the English School, which highlights ‘the great powers' responsibilities to protect international order’ (p. 11). Second, from the perspective of the pluralist wing of the English School, this book examines the most controversial foreign policy actions of the United States (Operation Iraqi Freedom, the drone strikes in Pakistan and the practice of extraordinary rendition). Third, it establishes a normative framework that utilises three yardsticks (legality, legitimacy and prudence) to measure a great power's behaviour, and to evaluate whether a great power's policy could be described as a responsible one.
This well-researched book features seven chapters. As the introduction of the book, Chapter 1 outlines the framework and fundamental arguments within. In Chapters 2 and 3, the author establishes the normative framework for evaluating whether a great power's actions are responsible. In Chapters 4–6, he conducts normative examinations of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the drone strikes in Pakistan and the practice of extraordinary rendition. It is noteworthy that the legitimacy of the cases is divorced from their legality to some extent, and that ‘what may be prudent for one particular state may not be legitimate according to certain norms’ (p. 126). The final chapter provides a conclusion of the arguments in the book.
This volume raises several essential questions for following studies of ‘great power responsibility’. For example, would the three yardsticks still be applicable to other great powers in different cultural contexts (e.g. China and Russia)? Under which conditions would the legitimacy of a great power's actions separate from their legality? In summary, this book is valuable reading for scholars, students and policy analysts who are concerned with American foreign policy and great power responsibility.
--Political Studies Review