PhD in international politics. I write on global governance institutions, African politics and regionalism, African-led peace operations, international legitimacy, and practice approaches.
Although history offers many examples of international intervention, the post-Cold War era has se... more Although history offers many examples of international intervention, the post-Cold War era has seen a burgeoning of different forms of outside interference and intervention by a range of state and non-state actors and for many different purposes. These include practices known as humanitarian intervention, responsibility to protect, development intervention, governance intervention as well as peace-building and state-building intervention. Many of these interventions are controversial and many are judged as having mixed results, or even as being complete failures, as illustrated by present-day Iraq, Afghanistan and a number of interventions throughout Africa.
This article argues that ‘the problem of intervention’ cannot be divorced from its external political origins. A significant portion of research in the field shows that interventions have all too often been based on an insufficient understanding of the surrounding context, and on an external definition of the problem these interventions set out to solve. As many have noted, interventions are often designed for purposes other than solving the problems of those described as ‘beneficiaries’ and ‘targets’ (Rubinstein 2005; Richmond 2011). We argue that there is a need to rethink external interventions in general and what occurs in the encounter between interveners and those ‘intervened upon’ in particular. Indeed, determinations of the success or failure of interventions are partial unless they take seriously the role of local dynamics and cultural meaning systems that inform social action as well as the power relations between interveners and those intervened upon. This article constitutes our first step in outlining what such a ‘rethinking’ implies theoretically and conceptually.
Increasingly, African leaders have been making greater efforts to safeguard the peace and stabili... more Increasingly, African leaders have been making greater efforts to safeguard the peace and stability of their nations. With threats ranging from Islamist insurgencies to an Ebola pandemic, the realities of protecting their citizens within these complex conflict zones have revealed a widening divide between the theory and practice of peacekeeping in Africa.
The Future of African Peace Operations provides the first—and long overdue—comprehensive overview and analysis of peacekeeping efforts in Africa. With the African Union’s newly created African Standby Force becoming fully operational in 2016, this timely study argues that governmental response to these challenges will require a unique and distinctively African model of peacekeeping, as well as a radical revision of the current security framework. Analyzing high-profile case studies, such as the operations against Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, this book contains practical insights from both academics and practitioners and will be a vital resource for policy makers, researchers, and anyone seeking insights into the immense security challenges that Africa faces today.
Although history offers many examples of international intervention, the post-Cold War era has se... more Although history offers many examples of international intervention, the post-Cold War era has seen a burgeoning of different forms of outside interference and intervention by a range of state and non-state actors and for many different purposes. These include practices known as humanitarian intervention, responsibility to protect, development intervention, governance intervention as well as peace-building and state-building intervention. Many of these interventions are controversial and many are judged as having mixed results, or even as being complete failures, as illustrated by present-day Iraq, Afghanistan and a number of interventions throughout Africa.
This article argues that ‘the problem of intervention’ cannot be divorced from its external political origins. A significant portion of research in the field shows that interventions have all too often been based on an insufficient understanding of the surrounding context, and on an external definition of the problem these interventions set out to solve. As many have noted, interventions are often designed for purposes other than solving the problems of those described as ‘beneficiaries’ and ‘targets’ (Rubinstein 2005; Richmond 2011). We argue that there is a need to rethink external interventions in general and what occurs in the encounter between interveners and those ‘intervened upon’ in particular. Indeed, determinations of the success or failure of interventions are partial unless they take seriously the role of local dynamics and cultural meaning systems that inform social action as well as the power relations between interveners and those intervened upon. This article constitutes our first step in outlining what such a ‘rethinking’ implies theoretically and conceptually.
Increasingly, African leaders have been making greater efforts to safeguard the peace and stabili... more Increasingly, African leaders have been making greater efforts to safeguard the peace and stability of their nations. With threats ranging from Islamist insurgencies to an Ebola pandemic, the realities of protecting their citizens within these complex conflict zones have revealed a widening divide between the theory and practice of peacekeeping in Africa.
The Future of African Peace Operations provides the first—and long overdue—comprehensive overview and analysis of peacekeeping efforts in Africa. With the African Union’s newly created African Standby Force becoming fully operational in 2016, this timely study argues that governmental response to these challenges will require a unique and distinctively African model of peacekeeping, as well as a radical revision of the current security framework. Analyzing high-profile case studies, such as the operations against Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, this book contains practical insights from both academics and practitioners and will be a vital resource for policy makers, researchers, and anyone seeking insights into the immense security challenges that Africa faces today.
Uploads
Articles and chapters by Linnea Gelot
This article argues that ‘the problem of intervention’ cannot be divorced from its external political origins. A significant portion of research in the field shows that interventions have all too often been based on an insufficient understanding of the surrounding context, and on an external definition of the problem these interventions set out to solve. As many have noted, interventions are often designed for purposes other than solving the problems of those described as ‘beneficiaries’ and ‘targets’ (Rubinstein 2005; Richmond 2011). We argue that there is a need to rethink external interventions in general and what occurs in the encounter between interveners and those ‘intervened upon’ in particular. Indeed, determinations of the success or failure of interventions are partial unless they take seriously the role of local dynamics and cultural meaning systems that inform social action as well as the power relations between interveners and those intervened upon. This article constitutes our first step in outlining what such a ‘rethinking’ implies theoretically and conceptually.
Books by Linnea Gelot
The Future of African Peace Operations provides the first—and long overdue—comprehensive overview and analysis of peacekeeping efforts in Africa. With the African Union’s newly created African Standby Force becoming fully operational in 2016, this timely study argues that governmental response to these challenges will require a unique and distinctively African model of peacekeeping, as well as a radical revision of the current security framework. Analyzing high-profile case studies, such as the operations against Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, this book contains practical insights from both academics and practitioners and will be a vital resource for policy makers, researchers, and anyone seeking insights into the immense security challenges that Africa faces today.
Papers by Linnea Gelot
This article argues that ‘the problem of intervention’ cannot be divorced from its external political origins. A significant portion of research in the field shows that interventions have all too often been based on an insufficient understanding of the surrounding context, and on an external definition of the problem these interventions set out to solve. As many have noted, interventions are often designed for purposes other than solving the problems of those described as ‘beneficiaries’ and ‘targets’ (Rubinstein 2005; Richmond 2011). We argue that there is a need to rethink external interventions in general and what occurs in the encounter between interveners and those ‘intervened upon’ in particular. Indeed, determinations of the success or failure of interventions are partial unless they take seriously the role of local dynamics and cultural meaning systems that inform social action as well as the power relations between interveners and those intervened upon. This article constitutes our first step in outlining what such a ‘rethinking’ implies theoretically and conceptually.
The Future of African Peace Operations provides the first—and long overdue—comprehensive overview and analysis of peacekeeping efforts in Africa. With the African Union’s newly created African Standby Force becoming fully operational in 2016, this timely study argues that governmental response to these challenges will require a unique and distinctively African model of peacekeeping, as well as a radical revision of the current security framework. Analyzing high-profile case studies, such as the operations against Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, this book contains practical insights from both academics and practitioners and will be a vital resource for policy makers, researchers, and anyone seeking insights into the immense security challenges that Africa faces today.