When Interventions Flounder II: An Introductory Note on the Socio-Economic Consequences of Foreign Intervention in Liberia

Abstract

Foreign interventions in African States most recently are laced with lack of consent. The ‘international community’ arguably intervened in troubled states once it could reasonably establish that the rights of citizens have been violated or threats to it imminent. Embattled regimes are most often removed in preference for ‘international community’s’ backed opposition groups. The aftermaths of such interventions negatively destroy any foreseeable roadmap for sustainable peace in intervened states and consequently the host region. Using the realist theory of international politics, the study argued that foreign intervention in Liberia failed to sustain peace in the country in 1997 and 2003 because most states involved pursued their national interests. Based on a survey research design, the study shows the linkage between the pursuit of national interest and failed intervention in Liberia. It negatives the outcome of foreign intervention in Liberia identifying socio-economic consequences of foreign intervention in Liberia with the conclusion that foreign intervention in Liberia has its own cost. It recommends the construction of local post–intervention peace-building regime to create enduring peace in war ravaged states

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