Civil War Interventions and Their Benefits Unequal Return [Paperback]

Castellano seeks to answer an important question: what are the benefits of interventions into civil wars, particularly for regular citizens in intervening states? The author examines factors that motivate states to intervene in civil wars, how interventions shape conflict dynamics, the benefits that are produced, and how those benefits are distributed in the short and long term following an intervention. Three civil wars are used as case studies: the 19791992 Salvadoran Civil War, the 19751988 conflict between the Moro insurgency and the Filipino government, and the 19831987 first Eelam War in Sri Lanka. The author creates a theory to explain state decision making that leads to civil war interventions using the criminal justice model of motive, means, and opportunity as well as a framework to understand how the benefits of the intervention are distributed among citizens in the intervening states. Findings from the case studies indicate that the benefits gained by the intervening states go to the political, economic, and security elites with citizens gaining very little from civil war interventions, indicating a disconnect among decision makers and citizens. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels.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.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-l+