"This lucid, comprehensive and highly accessible analysis of the Anglo-American military interventions of the post – Cold War era is be commended. It accurately captures the political and strategic realities of a dynamic international environment and how difficult it has been for the West’s two leading military powers to project military force to faraway places. This book delivers a thorough and balanced measure of the tensions and the confusions permeating the crucial issues of legality and legitimacy whenever a liberal democracy undertakes force projection. If found wanting by the court of informed public opinion in regard of legality and, especially, legitimacy, the prospects for effective military intervention are much reduced. As aptly stated, ‘legitimacy is the holy grail of international intervention’. From the Gulf War of 1991 to the more recent challenges of Syria, the core issues of legality and legitimacy are reviewed and judged in a thoughtful and impressive manner. Inevitably, there will be more interventions by the Anglo – American democracies, and scholars and practitioners of military intervention will be well-served by having read this important study." - James H. Wyllie, Reader in International Relations and Director of Strategic Studies, University of Aberdeen, UK.
