Just Politics: Human Rights and the Foreign Policy of Great Powers

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments Writing a book does a lot to one’s own humanity. In my case, I have been personally stretched and challenged through the comments and encouragement of many colleagues, family members, and friends along the way. Most of the contributions that led to this book, I owe to them. Any mistakes, I claim for my own. I am especially indebted to those at the University of Virginia who encouraged me to look at commitment termination and humanitarian norms. Jeffrey Legro, John Owen, Allen Lynch, and James Hunter offered exceptional guidance and devoted many hours to the project. I owe a special thanks to Jeff for his rigorous pursuit of a better product in the early stages. While difficult to swallow at the time, his insights paved the way, in the end, to making this a better book. For that I am grateful. I am also grateful to David Adesnik, Spencer Bakich, Steven Brooks, Kelly Erickson, Mark Haas, Holger Schmidt, Christianne Hardy Wohlforth, William Wohlforth, and Benjamin Valentino for comments on various parts of the research that went into the book. Some deserve special mention. Ben Valentino and Steve Brooks read and re-read several chapters . Ned Lebow, Steven Walt (as series editor), and an anonymous reviewer for Cornell University Press read the manuscript in its entirety. Their abundant comments and close attention to detail were especially helpful in sharpening and expanding the argument. As with many others who have come before me, I appreciate Roger Haydon’s commitment to the book and his guiding hand through the review and production process at Cornell University Press. Karen Laun and Martin Schneider helped repair numerous mistakes and oversights with their masterful editing. For research support, I appreciate the help of Engin Erdem, Marianne Scott, and Nan Swift. [ix] On the financial side of the equation, I thank several units at the University of Virginia, including the Center for Russian and East European Studies, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Center on Religion and Democracy, and the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. The latter two provided not only resources but the opportunity to enter a vibrant intellectual community that helped expand my perspective beyond political science on norms, ideas, and justice in international politics . The Institute for the Study of World Politics, Gordon College, and Dartmouth College contributed valuable support as well. I am especially grateful to the College of Liberal Arts and the Office for the VicePresident of Research at my home institution, Auburn University, for summer funding toward completion of the book’s final revisions. I also am grateful for permission in chapters 1 and 3 to reprint portions of my article “When Humanitarianism Matters: Liberalism and the Termination of Strategic Commitments,” Security Studies 14, no. 2 (April–June 2005), 232–73. Reproduced by permission of Taylor and Francis Group, LLC., www.taylorandfrancis.com. Many others provided various forms of help and encouragement. I appreciate the commitment of my parents, Charlie and Flora Walldorf, to my education from an early age. Their support, along with that of my in-laws, Patty and Cartter Frierson, was invaluable in producing this book. Furthermore , I have been blessed with inspiring places to write, most notably the library at the Center for Christian Study in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Frierson Farm in the mountains of north Georgia. On the latter, there is nothing like the smell of hot summer grass, great mountain views, and the occasional sound of a train whistle in the distance. Finally, I cannot imagine completing this book without my wife, Jennifer, and our three children, Will, Amy, and Anson. I told them more times than I would like to remember, “Daddy needs to work.” Their patience and support has been amazing. They knew that I could finish, even when I had my doubts. Mistakes aside, this book is as much theirs as it is mine. It is only appropriate that I dedicate it to them. Acknowledgments [x] Just Politics This page intentionally left blank. ...