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CIAO DATE: 9/5/2006
The Preventive Use of Force: A Cosmopolitan Institutional Proposal
Robert Keohane, Allen Buchanan
November 2003
Center for International Studies University of Southern California
Abstract
Since 9/11/2001 fears of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction have fueled a vigorous world-wide debate about the use of preventive force. “Preventive force” may be defined as the initiation of military action in anticipation of harmful actions that are neither presently occurring nor imminent.
This essay explores the permissibility of preventive war from a cosmopolitan normative perspective: one that recognizes the basic human rights of all persons, not just citizens of a particular country or countries. We argue that preventive force can be justified, under some conditions, if the decision to employ it is taken in within an appropriate rule-governed, institutional framework. We therefore present and defend an institutional arrangement designed to help protect vulnerable countries against unjustified interventions without creating unacceptable risks of the costs of inaction. The key principle on the basis of which these rules and institutions would be constructed is that of accountability.
