Explaining the Intervention Matrix: Theory and Practice from Northern and Southern Perspectives

What is meant by 'international intervention'? What are we trying to achieve, and who is the 'we' in this context? Are we guilty of assuming that everyone who talks about intervention is using the same language? Do we understand sufficiently well the full range of ways in which outside actors, usually powerful countries in the North, intervene in response to situations of crisis and conflict, usually in the poorer countries of the South? Are there unexpected consequences of intervention, should they be unexpected, and are interveners' expectations realistic in the first place? Do we appreciate the perspectives of those 'on the receiving end' of international intervention compared to those of the outsiders who intervene?

These and other questions will be addressed by a three year series of multidisciplinary seminars that will bring together a wide range of practitioners, policy-makers, and private sector organisations with an interest in international development and peace support interventions. The seminars will draw on the perspectives on intervention of different groups of people: academics for whom it is a subject for scholarly research, government officials who have to determine how to intervene to deliver specific policy objectives, and practitioners who are themselves interveners but who may have a different perspective on whether intervention is a good thing or not and whether it is carried out well. Understanding the position of government officials, NGOs, the UN, the military, and other government agencies must be the starting point for any exploration of this topic. By bringing together representatives of these different stakeholders the seminar series will provide a unique platform for the development of a holistic approach to studying international intervention.

Each seminar will focus on a distinct dimension of this topic and consider it from two separate but related angles:
- How do the various theories of intervention in International Relations and other disciplines compare with the practice?
- How do perceptions of intervention differ depending on whether one is an intervener or a target for intervention - and on where one sits in the sub-groups belonging to both categories?
Areas to be covered include:
- Frames of reference that can be used to develop a more comprehensive understanding of intervention;
- How Northern governments decide to intervene;
- How new technologies influence these decisions;
- What can be learnt from the stories about intervention that are told in art and literature 'on the receiving end';
- Whether policy and practice regarding intervention are sufficiently sensitive to issues of gender, given the weight currently attached to 'women, peace, and security' as a guiding principle for intervention;
- How stability and resilience can be built in societies affected by crisis.

The series will conclude with a results and findings conference bringing together the conclusions from the series as a whole.

In order to understand the view from 'the receiving end' the individual seminars will include invited speakers from different countries affected by intervention. Their participation seeks to establish a dialogue between interveners and intervened upon. It will also help to shape a new research agenda that is sensitive to competing interests and policy agendas on the ground.

The main aim of the project is to provide an evidence based framework for decision-making about when and how to intervene based on a more mature appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches, including the likely consequences of intervening or not intervening. The project will generate new topics for academic research, which in turn will play a key part in delivering this policy outcome. The series as a whole aims also to establish a collaborative network of academics, practitioners, and policy-makers who can continue to work on these issues once the series has concluded.

The impact of the project can be summarised as follows:

a. It will contribute to breaking down disciplinary boundaries between scholars by promoting a truly multi-disciplinary approach to the analysis of international intervention that is sensitive to the needs of policy makers as well as those 'on the receiving end';

b. It will establish new links between different stakeholder communities, with a view to promoting knowledge transfer and sharing of best practice through the establishment of continuing network;

c. Particularly important to its success will be the development of links already established at Surrey between scholars, policy-makers, and practitioners, as evidenced in the two cii projects already referred to. The inclusion of non-academics in the seminars as presenters, as well as delegates, will have an immediate impact on the formulation of the research questions, methodologies, and theoretical models that will be considered;

d. It will result in higher quality scholarship founded in a more nuanced understanding of the different perspectives of theorists and practitioners in both northern and southern countries and institutions.

As can be seen in the Objectives and the Case for Support, this seminar series is designed as a collaborative venture between the academic, practitioner, and policy-making communities. All three stakeholder communities have been involved in the conceptualisation and design of this research proposal and all have a vested interest in its successful execution.

The research programme will aim to develop a holistic theory of intervention based on a matrix approach that acknowledges the often very different interests and objectives of key actors. This new approach will thus draw on two interfacing axes:

- Theories of intervention against the practice of intervention;
- The perspectives of intervening states against the perspectives of those who are being intervened upon.

The real challenge of the project is to develop a theory that is sensitive to and inclusive of these - competing - views of intervention.

The seminars provide an important opportunity for leading scholars in the field to engage with practitioners, who will be involved in the workshops as delegates and keynote speakers. Practitioner participation will include Director-level representatives from the following UK government departments with a close interest in the subject matter of the research: the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; the Department for International Development; the Ministry of Defence; the Stabilisation Unit. These bodies will be involved as members of the Steering Group along with non-governmental stakeholders such as the International Committee of the Red Cross; the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), NGO consortia such as Enhanced Learning and Research in Humanitarian Assistance (ELRHA), plus individual organisations such as Human Rights Watch, Care International, and Save the Children. PA Consulting Group will also join the Steering Group and support the seminar series (letter of support attached). Through them private sector participation will also be sought.