Protecting Civilians Abroad: Why States Participate in the Liberal Post-Cold War Collective Security System.

TL;DRAbstract

Why do leaders intervene in the domestic conflicts of other countries to protect civilians in the area? Humanitarian interventions and the financing of peacebuilding projects have become integral in maintaining the post-Cold War collective security system. Extant theories explain these patterns either through a focus on nebulous concepts of state interest or the diffusion of norms and the desire for democracies to promote their behavior abroad. Empirically, however, states display an inconsistent commitment to humanitarian behavior. I argue that much of the emphasis that post-Cold War humanitarianism places on the protection of civilians is designed to control refugee flows in the conflict region. This helps explain why many illiberal leaders, who do not offer protection to their own civilians, are willing to promote human rights outside their own borders. To clarify where and when leaders involve their countries in international humanitarian efforts, I develop a theory that explains l

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