Solidarism During the ۲۰۰۳ Iraq War: Evaluating the UK's Invocation of the Responsibility to Protect

This article closely examines how the United Kingdom justified its ۲۰۰۳ invasion of Iraq through the lens of the English School’s solidarist principles, with a particular emphasis on the Responsibility to Protect (R۲P). It utilizes primary government documents, official speeches, and institutional reports to illustrate how the UK framed its intervention as a humanitarian obligation, despite significant opposition from NATO and the absence of UN authorization. The findings indicate that, although the UK employed solidarist rhetoric to rationalize its actions, the underlying motivations for the intervention were primarily geopolitical interests and strategic partnerships. The instability and humanitarian crises that ensued in Iraq further undermined the UK’s moral arguments. This analysis underscores the challenges and contradictions inherent in translating solidarist ideals into practice and contributes to the ongoing debate regarding the efficacy of moral justifications for intervention within a diverse international system.

Keywords:

Iraq War , Solidarism , Responsibility to Protect (R۲P) , English School of International Relations , Humanitarian Intervention , Tony Blair , US Alliance