Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Can Intervention Work?  By  cover art

Can Intervention Work?

By: Rory Stewart, Gerald Knaus
Narrated by: James Langton
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $14.03

Buy for $14.03

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Rory Stewart and Gerald Knaus distill their remarkable firsthand experiences of political and military interventions into a potent examination of what we can and cannot achieve in a new era of "nation building". As they delve into the massive, military-driven efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Balkans, the expansion of the EU, and the bloodless "color" revolutions in the former Soviet states, they reveal each effort's consequences for international relations, human rights, and our understanding of state building.

Stewart and Knaus parse carefully the philosophies that have informed interventionism and draw on their experiences in the military, nongovernmental organizations, and the Iraqi provincial government to reveal what we can ultimately expect from large-scale interventions, and how they might best realize positive change in the world.

©2011 Rory Stewart and Gerald Knaus (P)2011 Dreamscape Media

What listeners say about Can Intervention Work?

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • DS
  • 01-16-13

WHAT BOOTS ON THE GROUND SAY TO EACH OTHER

Intervention (think "nation building") rarely works. Democracy can't be applied like a postage stamp. It takes time, negotiation, empathy, a promise of justice..... and a lot of money. We should be prepared for all of this before we intervene in other countries or we should refrain from intervention.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great Discussion, Prerequisites Required

These were both excellent discussions of the challenges facing any organization pursuing nationbuilding.

Although I was familiar with the background in Afghanistan, I did not have a strong background in the Balkan conflicts.

I would advise before jumping into this book to do some background reading on both the Afghan conflict in the '00s and the Balkans in the '90s.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good but specialized

Very well informed arguments about the challenges of intervention, but probably appeals only to those with a specialist's interest in the topic.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!