Military Interventions in Civil Wars: The Role of Foreign Direct Investments and Arms Trade

Military Interventions in Civil Wars: The Role of Foreign Direct Investments and Arms Trade by Kamil C. Klosek is a well-researched and systematic analysis of the motivations behind states’ decisions to intervene militarily in civil wars. It specifically focuses on the role played by foreign direct investment (FDI) and arms trade. The book’s author, Kamil C. Klosek, is a postdoctoral researcher at the Peace Research Centre Prague and a lecturer at the Department of Security Studies, Charles University. His research primarily focuses on civil war dynamics, military interventions and political economic affairs. Given his experience and research expertise, he is certainly a credible scholar on the topic.

Through the book, Klosek attempts to understand the factors that increase the likelihood of a state carrying out a military intervention in a civil war. He defines the term ‘military intervention’ as “not only encompassing the participation of a country with combat forces, but also financial, logistic, intelligence, or other types of indirect support to a conflict actor”. Klosek adopts a state-centric perspective throughout his book. He posits that the first step in understanding military interventions in civil wars is to understand the global political system, which is based on the Westphalian order. He states that the traditional concepts of the Westphalian system have evolved significantly, largely due to the emergence of international organisations and non-state actors (NSAs).

Klosek mentions that, despite the global acceptance of the concept of sovereignty, international law does allow states to intervene in a civil war in three cases. These include: 1) if the intervention is authorised or mandated by the United Nations, 2) if the target country consents to the intervention, and 3) for self-defence. The author admits, however, that states often misuse these conditions to carry out military interventions for their own national interests. States, he argues, sometimes intervene in civil wars to weaken or overthrow governments and inflict significant costs on their rivals.

Klosek explores several factors behind military interventions in civil wars. He primarily focuses on the role of FDI and arms trade, both of which have a transformative effect on the likelihood of intervention. Based on his research, he makes several assertions. Firstly, he states that the greater the value of existing FDI in a civil war country, the greater the likelihood of a great power deciding to intervene militarily. Klosek argues that states are more likely to intervene in civil wars in a country in which they already have economic investments, rather than to advance new business interests. Besides direct military interventions, Klosek also analyses proxy and indirect interventions, and the role of arms trade in them. He states that great powers rely on proxies or coalitions to carry out their desired actions when they are too constrained to intervene, or when the anticipated costs outweigh the potential benefits. He gives the example of the US pressuring France to carry out a military intervention in the civil war in Chad in the 1980s, as the US did not want to escalate its Cold War with the Soviet Union.

Klosek believes that the arms trade is a major factor which increases the likelihood of a proxy intervention in a civil war. He focuses primarily on the P-5 (the US, Russia, China, France and the UK) countries at the United Nations Security Council. He explores the motivation behind why a country might delegate an intervention to other actors. These include reducing their own burden, decreasing the likelihood of a counter-intervention by a rival, and distancing themselves from the civil war country. Ultimately, the arms trade is seen as another way to propagate a state’s own national interests, as it would not supply arms to a party that acted against its foreign policy objectives. If the recipient of arms does not comply with the conditions set by the great power, they can be cut off as punishment, which would be a major setback for the recipient.

It is not just the supply of arms that is vital, but also the relevant training, logistics and maintenance. This essentially makes the recipient dependent on the supplier. Klosek gives the example of Türkiye, which was aiming to diversify its arms dependency on the US by acquiring the Russian S-400 air defence system. In reaction, however, the US took several measures against Türkiye, including freezing its assets, implementing visa restrictions, and banning export licenses and authorisations for its defence industry. Klosek also argues that states tend to use proxy groups to intervene when they have little interest in the outcome of a civil war, and particularly when they are already major suppliers to actors in that civil war.

Apart from political or economic factors, race and ethnicity also play a part. Klosek believes that states are more likely to intervene in civil wars when the intervening country shares ethnic or religious ties with groups in the civil war country. There is also the humanitarian factor; Klosek states that a higher number of deaths and refugees increases the likelihood of intervention. Additionally, proximity to civil wars increases the likelihood of intervention, as states are concerned with spillover effects such as trade disputes, refugee crises, unregulated arms trade, terrorism, etc. The author also analyses the impact of public perception on military interventions. Particularly in democratic countries, political leaders are always concerned about the next election. There is a real fear in their minds that if a military intervention is seen as unpopular or unjustified, it could cost them in future elections. This factor plays a major role in the decision-making process when states are making the call to intervene in a civil war.

Overall, this book is certainly a valuable addition to the existing literature. The author is able to condense a rather technical topic into a short, accessible book. He summarises complex issues in a manner which can be understood by those interested in the field. One of the most compelling aspects of the book is how detailed and well-researched it is. At the start of each chapter, Klosek analyses the existing literature and builds a foundational understanding of the drivers behind military interventions in civil wars. This is a great starting point for those who might not be familiar with the topic because Klosek makes sure to provide the relevant background to the reader. Additionally, he provides pertinent examples of various civil wars that have taken place in the past few decades, from 1975 to 2009. He provides multiple examples from countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and more. Klosek’s comprehensive analysis of these various civil wars makes the book more compelling.

However, the book also has a number of shortcomings. The major weakness is that the book can be overly technical at times. Throughout the book, Klosek applies several statistical models and quantitative methods to reach his findings. Although certainly useful, a reader who does not have a foundational understanding of these models might find it difficult to keep up and fully comprehend the steps behind the author’s findings. Additionally, Klosek spends the majority of the book explaining his research methods and conducting the literature review. This leaves only a few pages at the end of each chapter in which he actually analyses his findings.

In conclusion, Kamil C. Klosek’s book, Military Interventions in Civil Wars: The Role of Foreign Direct Investments and Arms Trade, is an engaging and highly educational read. The book offers a thoroughly well-researched account of the topic. The book is an invaluable resource for those wanting to understand the topic. Overall, the book is highly recommended for those interested in civil wars, military interventions, and students of security studies and international relations.