Why Rivals Intervene: International Security and Civil Conflict

by John Mitton

Hardcover

$75.00
Ebook - ePub

$75.00
Ebook - PDF

$75.00

Published: January 2023

Product Details

Imprint: University of Toronto Press

Page Count: 288 Pages

Illustrations: 3 b&w figures, 3 b&w maps, 2 b&w tables

Dimensions: 6.10 x 9.10

World Rights

288 Pages, 6.10 x 9.10 x 1.10 in, 3 b&w figures, 3 b&w maps, 2 b&w tables

Hardcover

$75.00

ISBN: 9781487508272

Quantity

In Stock

Add To Cart

Shipping Location

Choose a Shipping Location

Shipping Updated

This item has rights restrictions. We are unable to ship/sell this item to your location.

There are no exam or desk copies available for this title. If you have any questions, please email us at requests@utorontopress.com.

Add to Wishlist

Description
Authors
Contents
Reviews
Subjects

Rivals – states with acrimonious, militarized histories – often intervene on opposing sides of civil conflicts. These interventions are known to exacerbate and prolong civil wars, but scholars have yet to fully understand why states engage in them, given the significant costs and countervailing strategic interests.

Why Rivals Intervene argues that rivals are driven by security considerations at the international level – specifically, the prospect of future confrontations with their rival – to intervene in civil conflicts. Drawing on a theory of rivalry which accounts for this strategic rationale, John Mitton explores three case studies: Indian and Pakistani intervention in Afghanistan, Israeli and Syrian intervention in Lebanon, and US and Soviet intervention in Angola. The book examines a range of evidence, including declassified memoranda, meeting transcripts, government reports, published interviews, memoirs of political leaders, and other evidence of the thought process, rationale, and justifications of relevant decision-makers.

The book claims that the imperatives for intervention are consistent across time and space, as rivals are conditioned by a history of conflict to worry about future confrontations. As a result, Why Rivals Intervene illuminates an important driver of civil conflict, with implications for how such conflicts might be solved or mitigated in the future. At the same time, it offers new insight into the nature of long-standing, acrimonious international relationships.

John Mitton is a research fellow at the Centre for the Study of Security and Development at Dalhousie University.

List of Tables
List of Figures
List of Maps

1. Introduction
International Intervention into Civil Conflicts
International Rivalry
Summary of Findings
Roadmap

2. A Theory of Rivalry (Intervention)
Pathological Rivalry
Rational Rivalry
Interpersonal vs. International Rivalry
Rivalry as “Continuous Negotiation”
Reputations and Rivalry
Rivalry under Anarchy and the Search for Security
Situating the Theory
A Causal Mechanism Explanation for Rivalry Intervention
The Case Studies
Key Terms
Civil Conflict
Intervention
Conclusion

3. The India-Pakistan Rivalry
The Nature of the Rivalry
Crises and Conflict, 1947–2001
Perceptions in 2001
The War in Afghanistan

4. Indian Intervention in Afghanistan
India in Afghanistan
Economic Opportunities
Regional Influence/Global Power Projection
Security Concerns
The Rivalry Explanation

5. Pakistani Intervention in Afghanistan
Pakistan in Afghanistan
Pakistan’s Support for the Insurgency
The Rivalry Explanation
Possible Alternative Explanations
Assessing the Interventions

6. The Syrian-Israeli Rivalry and Intervention in Lebanon
The Nature of the Rivalry
Crises and Conflict, 1948–75
Israeli and Syrian Perceptions in 1975
Intervention in Lebanon
Lebanese Civil War, 1975–76
Syrian Intervention, 1975–76
Israeli Intervention, 1975–76
Red-Line Agreement
Israel and Syria in Lebanon, 1977–81
Lebanon War (1982–5)
The Rivalry Explanation

7. The US-Soviet Rivalry and Intervention in Angola
The Nature of the Rivalry
Crises and Conflict, 1947–75
US and Soviet Perceptions in 1975
Intervention in Angola
Angolan Civil War, 1975
Soviet Intervention in Angola
US Intervention in Angola
The Rivalry Explanation

8. Conclusion
Summary of Findings
Theoretical Implications
Policy Implications
References

"Why Rivals Intervene　neatly explains rival states’ competitive interventions in civil conflicts. Carefully researched case studies amply illustrate a straightforward argument about ‘rational rivals’ driven by perceptions of strategic necessity. Mitton’s work provokes debate about international rivalries and contributes to our understanding of regional and great-power competition."
Jonathan M. DiCicco, Professor of Political Science & International Relations, Middle Tennessee State University

"In this well-argued book, John Mitton offers an insightful theory and case studies on why adversaries intervene in third-party civil conflicts and the deeply embedded security considerations deriving from the ‘shadow of the future.’ A thoughtful work on rivalry, civil wars, and international interventions."
T.V. Paul, James McGill Professor of International Relations, McGill University

"Why Rivals Intervene rigorously demonstrates the importance of reputation in determining why and how great powers become entangled in foreign civil conflicts. John Mitton gives a rich, policy-relevant account of an important pathology that exists within international competition – one that forces us to face an otherwise hidden price for undertaking geopolitical rivalry in the first place."
Van Jackson, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington

History

Political Science / American Politics / Foreign Policy

Political Science / International Relations