Celebrity Culture and the Rise of Narcissistic Interventionism Philip Hammond This chapter considers what Philip Drake and Michael Higgins call “the increasingly interwoven nature of celebrity and politics” (87), focusing in particular on the politics of humanitarian intervention. In recent years, celebrity involvement in international political and charity campaigning has attracted much comment and attention. Yet the discussion tends to be superficial and preoccupied with the personal motivations of individuals, often implicitly “ranking” celebrities according to a hierarchy of credibility. For example, socialite Paris Hilton attracted derision when, in 2007, she announced that she intended to visit Rwanda. One journalist predicted that she would “parade around […] in an insincere way” (Kron); another commented that it would not help Rwanda to be “embraced by the personification of decadence” (Winkler). The actress Angelina Jolie, in contrast, tends to be seen as making a valuable contribution when she visits African countries. “Visits to the worst afflicted areas of Sudan/Darfur by celebrities such as Angelina Jolie […] have helped keep events there in the headlines—invaluable in terms of sustaining diplomatic interest and, through this, funding desperately needed aid,” argues Philip Jacobson (87). Fêted by Esquire magazine as “the best woman in the world” (Hill), Jolie is widely seen as “absolutely serious, absolutely informed,” in the words of former Secretary of State Colin Powell (qtd. in Winkler). Whether one agrees or disagrees with the placing of particular personalities in the league table of sincerity, such judgements assume the existence of a separate sphere of “real” political action, in relation to which the activities of celebrities may be either disparaged as mere self-promotion or applauded as a sign of genuine commitment. Discussion of what might be called the “celebritisation” of politics tends to be bound by similar assumptions. Politicians sometimes behave as if they inhabited some minor branch of show-business, such as the saxophone-playing President Bill Clinton, or guitarist Prime Minister Tony Blair; and they occasionally do so in the service of some ostensibly political purpose, as when Bernard Kouchner and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, respectively the Foreign Ministers of France and Germany, recorded a music video to promote European integration (“Steinmeier and Kouchner”). i More commonly, politicians appear keen to associate themselves with celebrities. In his early years in office, for example, Blair gathered musicians and other entertainers at Downing Street in an effort to brand the UK as “Cool Britannia.” His successor, Gordon Brown, was eager to be seen to support the “Live 8” charity concert as Chancellor in 2005 and the “Live Earth” concert (organised by former-politician-