15371

SoSe 16: The Politics of International Intervention

Ursula Schröder

Comments

This seminar examines the politics of international intervention. Over the course of the seminar, students discuss the central normative concepts, theoretical debates and policy challenges of international interventions into situations of fragility, insecurity and conflict. International interventions in these situations can take multiple forms: ranging from military intervention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations to international humanitarian assistance and development aid, international interventions also include post-conflict reconstruction, state-building and transitional justice mandates. As international interventions have grown ever more complex and comprehensive, a large and diverse group of international organizations, governments and private actors have become engaged in these activities. However, despite their extensive scope, our understanding of how and under what conditions international interventions function or fail remains limited. Starting with a critical discussion of the evolution of concepts and practices of interventions in international politics, the seminar subsequently introduces major debates about their legitimacy and effectiveness. Over the course of the seminar, students systematically examine the promises and pitfalls of international interventions from a variety of theoretical perspectives. Starting with core normative debates about the purposes of international intervention and the responsibility to protect in international politics, the seminar moves on to study the interests and perspectives of both interveners and intervened and discusses more recent research on the everyday politics of international interventions. In its second part, the seminar introduces students to crucial issues and cases of intervention. Students prepare theory-led, problem-oriented and in-depth studies of different types of international interventions and compare their findings to come to a more systematic understanding of the dynamics and consequences of international interventions. close