The West, Realism and Intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo (1996–2006)

Gegout, Catherine

doi:10.1080/13533310802685802

Cited by 29 publications

(22 citation statements)

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“…As long as these do not conflict with their core national interests, member states will use the EU as an institutional repository for their moral concerns . In the case of the EU"s Africa policy, former colonial powers may use the EU to defend their sphere of influence, especially when threatened by other international actors (Gegout 2009). …”

Section: The Debate On Eu Foreign Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Norms, self-interest and effectiveness: explaining double standards in EU reactions to violations of democratic principles in Sub-Saharan Africa

Biondo

2012

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The promotion of democracy has become a key objective of the European Union (EU) in sub-Saharan Africa.One of the ways in which this objective is pursued is by reacting to violations of democratic principles using negative measures: naming and shaming strategies or economic/diplomatic sanctions. Yet the application of negative measures has been criticised as being characterised by "double standards", meaning that similar violations of democratic principles have led to a different response from the EU. This dissertation searches for explanations for these double standards. In-depth comparative studies on the motivations for double standards in the application of negative measures in sub-Saharan Africa in the post-2000 period have been lacking. While double standards have mostly been attributed to the prevalence of self-interested objectives of the EU, this dissertation considers two additional factors: (1) a potential conflict in the EU"s normative objectives (democracy, development and stability) and (2) expectations about the effectiveness of negative measures.These three explanatory factors (norms, self-interest and effectiveness) are investigated for ten case studies in sub-Saharan Africa: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Guinea, Côte d"Ivoire and Zimbabwe. It is shown that there have been double standards in the EU"s reaction to violations of democratic principles in these countries: similar violations of democratic principles have led to different reactions from the EU (positive measures, low-cost negative measures and sanctions). The motivations for these double standards are then investigated by studying the potential impact of norms, self-interest and effectiveness.On the one hand, previous studies emphasising self-interest are confirmed. Historical interests related to the desire of member states to maintain their sphere of influence have in some cases led to double standards (Chad, Côte d"Ivoire, Zimbabwe). Moreover, the growing concern for self-interested security objectives such as the war on terror has led to increased tolerance for governments that are seen as crucial allies in fighting these security concerns (Ethiopia, Nigeria, Chad), while sanctions were more easily adopted where this was not the case (Zimbabwe, Guinea, Côte d"Ivoire). On the other hand, the study also found evidence that runs counter to the importance of self-interest: (1) commercial interests were found to have little explanatory value, (2) some countries that can also be considered allies in the security sphere were not shielded from negative measures (Kenya), and (3) the EU also avoided negatives measures in countries that were not allies in the pursuit of security objectives (Eritrea, Rwanda). Furthermore, the EU"s other normative objectives (stability, development) were found to be equally important. Negative measures were more easily adopted in countries where development performance had been weak (Zimbabwe, Guinea, Côte d"Ivoire, Niger) or where internal stability was under threat (Kenya, C...

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Section: The Debate On Eu Foreign Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Norms, self-interest and effectiveness: explaining double standards in EU reactions to violations of democratic principles in Sub-Saharan Africa

Biondo

2012

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“…According to this explanation, participation in peacekeeping is thus understood primarily as an instrument to foster states' national interests. Writing more recently, Gegout (2009) stated that within the realist perspective, national interests are not only defined in terms of "hard" military-security issues, but also in terms of economic interests and even states' prestige. Hence, realists simply "expect governmentdefined national interest to take precedence over altruistic humanitarianism" (Gegout, 2009, p. 238).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From a military perspective, such goals are often associated with, among others, guaranteeing states' own security, testing operational aspects of military doctrines and strategies, forming and instructing national contingents, and/or guaranteeing their state of preparedness at comparatively low cost. Politically, the involvement in peace operations is usually attached to the goals of increasing states' international profile, acquiring prestige, guaranteeing interests in their respective areas of influence or interest, creating or strengthening a status of leadership, fostering opportunities for integration into the 'international community', and/or creating opportunities for regional/international cooperation -including military aspects (see, e.g., Gegout, 2009;Gill and Huang, 2009;Hirst and Llenderrozas, 2008;Gonnet and Hernández, 2007;Sorenson and Wood, 2005;Bergman, 2004;Krishnasamy, 2001;Bullion, 1997;Durch, 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rendering peacekeeping instrumental? The Brazilian approach to United Nations peacekeeping during the Lula da Silva years (2003-2010)

Cavalcante

2010

Rev. bras. polít. int.

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“…Consequently, some people would discount realism as an approach to peacebuilding (Newman, 2009;Gegout, 2009). It is more concerned with international peace and stabilisation more than addressing underlying causes and sources of conflict (Newman, 2009: 48).…”

Section: Realist Approach To Peacebuildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is more concerned about protecting hegemonic interests than building sustainable peace. Realists argue that the principle of anarchy governs international relations (Gegout, 2009). 'States can pursue non-security goals as long as the requisite behaviour does not conflict with the balance of power logic' (Mearsheimer, 2001: 46).…”

Section: Realist Approach To Peacebuildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grooming a new generation of peacebuilders: a review of the Rotary Peace Fellowship program

Hove¹

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The West, Realism and Intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo (1996–2006)

Cited by 29 publications

References 0 publications

Norms, self-interest and effectiveness: explaining double standards in EU reactions to violations of democratic principles in Sub-Saharan Africa

Norms, self-interest and effectiveness: explaining double standards in EU reactions to violations of democratic principles in Sub-Saharan Africa

Rendering peacekeeping instrumental? The Brazilian approach to United Nations peacekeeping during the Lula da Silva years (2003-2010)

Grooming a new generation of peacebuilders: a review of the Rotary Peace Fellowship program

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