'Arguments about whether or not military intervention is justified overshadow much of today's international agenda. This authoritative collection, encompassing the reflections across four centuries of the major luminaries of European thought, will greatly enrich those debates, as well as documenting an intellectual history in its own right.' Ian Clark, Aberystwyth University

'In this fascinating collection of essays, a superb group of scholars illuminate classic European debates about military intervention by thinkers such as Hobbes, Grotius, Vattel, and Mill. This absorbing book provides a valuable philosophical and historical background to enduring arguments about intervention, sovereignty, international law, and human rights.' Gary Bass, Princeton University, New Jersey

'Writings on intervention often have a 'shock of the new' quality about them, as though the dilemmas surrounding contemporary humanitarian intervention are novel in international history. This excellent collection provides some much needed perspective, showing that reasoning about just and unjust intervention has a long and nuanced history. Recchia and Welsh have assembled an outstanding group of contributors who not only introduce the reader to thinkers from Vitoria to Mill but also place their thought in the distinctive social and political contexts in which they were written. This book will be mandatory reading for anyone interested in the legitimacy of international intervention, past and present.' Christian Reus-Smit, University of Queensland