Cambridge Scholars Publishing Foreign Intervention in Civil Wars

This book identifies the conditions under which foreign countries intervene in civil wars, contending that we should consider four dimensions of civil war intervention. The first dimension is the civil war itself. The characteristics of the civil war itself are important determinants of a third party’s decision making regarding intervention. The second dimension is the characteristics of intervening states, and includes their capabilities and domestic political environments. The third is the relationship between the host country and the intervening country. These states’ formal alliances and the differences in military capability between the target country and the potential intervener have an impact on the decision making process. The fourth dimension is the relationship between the interveners. This framework of four dimensions proves critical in understanding foreign intervention in civil wars. Based on this framework, the model for the intervention mechanism can reflect reality better. By including the relationships between the interveners here, the book shows that it is important to distinguish between intervention on the side of the government and intervention on behalf of the opposition. Without distinguishing between these, it is impossible to consider the concepts of counter-intervention and bandwagoning intervention. Review “One of the most tragic and complicated types of conflict in international relations, civil wars have always vexed policymakers and confronted them with difficult policy choices. Jung-Yeop Woo’s new book, Foreign Intervention in Civil Wars, offers a new lens and breadth of data to understand the complexities of foreign intervention in civil wars. By carefully outlining the taxonomy of relationships among the foreign and domestic actors in civil wars, Woo has developed an innovative theoretical framework towards better understanding of civil wars. His treatise will be a valuable tool for scholars and policymakers alike.”Ban Ki-moonEighth Secretary-General of the United Nations About the Author Dr Jung-Yeop Woo is a Research Fellow at the Sejong Institute, South Korea, having previously worked in the same capacity at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, Korea. While there, he also served as the Director of the Washington, DC office of the institute. He has also worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California and as an Associate Analyst for Gallup Korea and the Korea Research Company. Dr Woo’s research focuses on foreign military intervention in civil wars and the relationship between foreign policy-making and public opinion. He received a BA from Seoul National University, Korea, an MPP from Georgetown University, USA, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA.