Bibliotheken Online

Civil war interventions and their benefits

unequal return

Isaac M. Castellano

Buch

englisch

Castellano, Isaac M. (Verfasser/-in) DNB

Lexington

Los Angeles

2014

180 p.

978-0-7391-8886-6

Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-174) and index.

case study
civil war
foreign relations
el salvador
philippines

Contents:

Introduction: the Syrian case -- The benefits of civil war intervention -- El Salvador and cold war -- The Moro National Liberation Front and the Philippine government -- Sri Lanka and the Tamil minority in the Eelam War I (1983-1987) -- Conclusion: benefits for the few?.

Summary:

"The book examines how states benefit from their interventions and the distribution of intervenor benefits. Specially two questions are addressed: What are the benefits of intervention for intervening countries? And, how are benefits distributed within the intervenors society? Using evidence compiled from three case studies (El Salvador, The Philippines, and Sri Lanka), this book examines what motivated states to intervene, how they intervened, what they got from their intervention, and how the benefits of the intervention were distributed among the public. Arguing that foreign policy and security decision making is isolated from the general public, this book argues that citizens gain little from indirect interventions into civil wars." -- Back cover.
The 2013 debate over whether the United States should intervene in the Syrian conflict raised important questions regarding the benefits countries receive when they intervene in civil wars, and how those benefits are distributed to the citizens of the intervening country. To address these lingering questions this book offers readers a comprehensive examination of the intervention process, examining the decision to intervene, what motivates states, and how their intervention shapes the conflict process. Most, importantly, the book examines how states benefit from their interventions and the distribution of intervenor benefits. Specially two questions are addressed: What are the benefits of intervention for intervening countries? And, how are benefits distributed within the intervenors society? Using evidence compiled from three case studies (El Salvador, The Philippines, and Sri Lanka), this book examines what motivated states to intervene, how they intervened, what they got from their intervention, and how the benefits of the intervention were distributed among the public. Arguing that foreign policy and security decision making is isolated from the general public, this book argues that citizens gain little from indirect interventions into civil wars.
Review: Sparked by the policy debate surrounding the Syrian civil war, Isaac Castellano provides a unique angle on an important and timely question in world politics: Is intervention worth it? Based upon detailed historical analysis, Castellano finds that the answer to this question depends upon whom you ask. Political elites do tend to benefit from intervention, but the general public often loses out. This book will make readers take a critical look at the logic of the intervention policies of the U.S. and other democratic countries. -- Stephen E. Gent, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill States and international organizations intervene in the domestic politics of other states for a myriad of reasons, and scholars have gained significant ground in explaining how interventions in conflicts like Syria are apt to influence intra-war dynamics and post-conflict processes. In Civil War Interventions and Their Benefits: Unequal Returns, Castellano shifts the focus back to the intervening state. Seeking to understand who benefits from interventions and why, he argues that elites gain the lion's share of the benefits from intervening. Case studies of El Salvador, Philippines, and Sri Lanka provide strong supporting evidence. This book deserves to be read by anyone interested in civil wars, international relations, and foreign policy. -- Clayton Thyne, University of Kentucky

0