How Does International Organizations Cooperation Impact Conflict Outcomes?

• In Event: Third Parties, Military Intervention, and Civil Conflict

Abstract

In the First Liberian Civil War, ECOWAS and the UN both sent peacekeeping missions that were plagued by distrust and confusion over management that prolonged the peace process. While in the Sierra Leonean Civil War, the same organizations coordinated their actions throughout mediation and disarmament. Does this variation in cooperation between conflict management IOs impact conflict outcomes? I propose the cooperation between organizations will improve conflict outcomes because organizations can appropriately delegate their resources. Much of the conflict management literature focuses on the improved outcomes that result from increased resources, but I argue that only the coordination of these resources will lead to quicker peace and less violence. To test this theory, I have collected novel data on the instances of cooperation between intergovernmental organizations within conflicts, not limited to any specific tactics like peacekeeping or mediation. The data which covers Africa from 1991-2018 creates a cooperation score that defines the type of cooperation and number of organizations involved. This paper adds to our understanding of the conflict management literature by understanding the ways in which resources impact conflict outcomes beyond their quantity. Beyond the theory, the cooperation score is the first of its kind to measure cooperation in all aspects of conflict management and shows the variation in cooperation occurring between international organizations.

Author

• Madeline Fleishman, University of Maryland, College Park