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Unified Protector: protection of civilians?

Olthuis, G.G. (2015) Unified Protector: protection of civilians?

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Abstract:The purpose of this research was to identify the motives of states to participate in armed humanitarian intervention. Previous research mainly focused on the selectivity of the international community with regards to intervention. In addition, most of the case studies analysed intervention through one theoretical lens. This study’s basic assumption was that studying armed humanitarian interventions only from one perspective does not do justice to the causal complexity of mixed motives behind the decision of whether to intervene. In this study, seven conditions were derived from three different theories: realism, constructivism, and liberalism. Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) proved to be a suitable method to measure the extent to which these conditions interacted. Eighteen states were selected and analysed to determine the extent of the presence of these conditions in each of these states. Subsequently, the QCA software calculated the interaction effects between the conditions. The findings of the QCA study were checked in three case studies in order to increase the inferential value. For most states, the willingness to intervene in the humanitarian crisis in Libya was determined by their national strategic culture, reinforced by the pressure of public opinion, on key decision-makers that wanted to be re-elected. These results proved that norms do play a significant role in international relations and provided counterevidence to the realist claim that states only intervene when it is in their self-interest. The results also demonstrated that a multi-theoretical approach is needed in future research to explain the phenomenon of armed humanitarian intervention.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:88 social and public administration
Programme:European Studies MSc (69303)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/67648
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