“The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions”: New Cosmopolitanism and Pacifist Warriors

Abstract Since the end of the Cold War “New Cosmopolitans” have justified the renaissance of “righteous war” by providing cosmopolitan, humanitarian, human rights and even pacifist justifications for military intervention. This article is a critique of “New Cosmopolitanism” and the transition some on the Left have made from pacifism and peace activism in the 1980s to advocacy of military intervention to prevent “genocide” in the post-Cold War period. The “pacifist warrior” is a contradiction in terms but encapsulates the problems faced by cosmopolitans in judging between moral absolutes: to oppose war and to oppose genocide. The emphasis on “good intentions” allows cosmopolitans to distance themselves from the non-cosmopolitan military means and the consequences of pursuing the end that they have willed. Such “good intentions” allow cosmopolitans to advocate endless altruistic wars.