The politics of intervention

The politics of intervention is one of the Conflict Research Group's five main research programmes.

Programme coordinator: Bruno de Cordier

 

Food aid in Asmara, Eritrea ©Eric Petitalot
Food aid in Asmara, Eritrea ©Eric Petitalot
The term ‘interventions’ often brings up association with its narrow sense, i.e. military interventions. In this CRG line of work, however, ‘interventions’ are defined as all extraneous actions that aim to steer and inform social dynamics and modernization, often using the momentum and opportunities shaped by a political and societal crisis or conflict.

With the changing nature and with the hybridization of conflict since the 1988-91 period, these are characterized by a multi-dimensionality which include cultural-anthropologic, humanitarian, economic and indeed also, but certainly not exclusively, military aspects.

Of particular interest in this line of our work are the societal impacts and conflicts that arise from externally-backed development policies, the conflict between declaredly universal development principles and the culturally-particularistic, and the social impact and control of aid economies in crisis areas.

People

Projects

Past Projects