Prospects for success in international interventions - the examples of economic sanctions and peace enforcement

The purpose of this report is to explore under what conditions successful multilateral interventions into violent intrastate conflicts are likely to be successful. Moreover, the possibilities of creating a model for these conditions in order to enhance the understanding and the prospects for future research are investigated. The report is limited to include economic sanctions and actions of peace enforcement and is carried out by turning to scholarly research and debate already undertaken in the area, from which a critical discussion is conducted. In the last two chapters the most important results from the report is concluded, and an ´index´ of more or less successful conditions is created. Furthermore, there is a discussion on a possible model for the conditions found and some suggestions for further research. The study should be seen as a ´pilot study´, meaning to contribute with some valuable indications for further and more comprehensive research. The most important conclusions of the report is that in order to maximise the chances of success, governments and organisations need to focus on creating and upholding the flexibility and interaction between the Mission, the Mandate and the Resources, in conjunction with the conditions found (which improved the possibilities for a successful mission). Furthermore, the two most important factors for a successful mission seem to be the political will of the interveners and a proper understanding of the process surrounding the conflict.