Agonising choices: Tragedy and International Relations – a tragic vision of humanitarian intervention in the Bosnian War

TY - JOUR

T1 - Agonising choices: Tragedy and International Relations – a tragic vision of humanitarian intervention in the Bosnian War

AU - Offelen, Catherine

AU - Smith, M. L. R.

PY - 2020/10/1

Y1 - 2020/10/1

N2 - Tragedy is one of the oldest metaphorical lenses of International Relations. The tragic vision of politics, from Thucydides to contemporary realist theorists, lies at the core of classical realism. However, it is striking how rarely the concept of tragedy has been applied to the discourse of humanitarian intervention. This lacuna is a weakness on both the intellectual and political levels, as nowhere are clashes between competing ethical perspectives more glaring. An examination of the concept of tragedy, as conceived from its Greek origins, can illuminate an understanding of the morally contradictory imperatives created by armed intervention. Using the Bosnian War as a case study, Greek classical tragedy provides a framework to grasp the agonising choices and insoluble ethical dilemmas brought about by humanitarian intervention, in contrast to mere narratives of salvation. The argument conveyed in this article seeks to reconcile a tragic vision with the idea of progress and political action. It concludes by suggesting that the fundamental lessons that lie at the heart of tragedy should be associated with another major concept in Greek culture, namely, the Aristotelian idea of phronesis or 'practical wisdom'.

AB - Tragedy is one of the oldest metaphorical lenses of International Relations. The tragic vision of politics, from Thucydides to contemporary realist theorists, lies at the core of classical realism. However, it is striking how rarely the concept of tragedy has been applied to the discourse of humanitarian intervention. This lacuna is a weakness on both the intellectual and political levels, as nowhere are clashes between competing ethical perspectives more glaring. An examination of the concept of tragedy, as conceived from its Greek origins, can illuminate an understanding of the morally contradictory imperatives created by armed intervention. Using the Bosnian War as a case study, Greek classical tragedy provides a framework to grasp the agonising choices and insoluble ethical dilemmas brought about by humanitarian intervention, in contrast to mere narratives of salvation. The argument conveyed in this article seeks to reconcile a tragic vision with the idea of progress and political action. It concludes by suggesting that the fundamental lessons that lie at the heart of tragedy should be associated with another major concept in Greek culture, namely, the Aristotelian idea of phronesis or 'practical wisdom'.

KW - Ancient Greece

KW - Bosnia

KW - Classical Realism

KW - Humanitarian Intervention

KW - Practical Wisdom

KW - Tragedy

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85084640184&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1017/S0260210520000121

DO - 10.1017/S0260210520000121

M3 - Article

SN - 0260-2105

VL - 46

SP - 495

EP - 513

JO - Review of International Studies

JF - Review of International Studies

IS - 4

ER -