Humanitarian justifications in security crises

Abstract Chapter 1 introduces the puzzling use of humanitarian justifications by US presidents in crises where the country’s security is also at stake. It provides concrete examples of humanitarian appeals from every US military intervention since the end of the Cold War and explains why existing accounts of public opinion cannot make sense of this phenomenon. The chapter previews the answer to this puzzle, introducing the domestic coalition argument, which explains presidents’ use of humanitarian claims as a response to the incentives set by the political importance of doves. It defines core concepts, distinguishing between humanitarian and security crises and separating the type of crisis from the justification for action. Chapter 1 concludes by establishing the scope of the argument, considering how it might travel to other countries and time periods, before outlining the plan of the book.