No 11, Issue 2       

Humanitarian Interventions: A Comparative Analysis of Human Rights Organizations and Geopolitical Considerations

Adil YILDIZ

Pages: 18-37

Abstract.

Are the ‘‘naming and shaming’’ activities of Human Rights Organizations (HROs) robust to geopolitical factors? While Murdie and Peksen (2014) provide empirical evidence that such HRO activities increase the likelihood of humanitarian intervention, the existing literature on geopolitics indicates a variable effect, which can be associated with both positive and negative directions regarding intervention onset, although the geopolitical effect remains consistent and significant. Hence, I formulate a hypothesis proposing a correlation between geopolitics and the initiation of interventions. I further suggest that this link could influence the empirical evidence, indicating that HRO activities have a statistically significant impact on the probability of intervention onset, potentially introducing a confounding factor. Using the replication data from Murdie and Peksen (2014) covering the period from 1990 to 2005, however, I find that even when accounting for a geopolitical factor (i.e., being a United States ally), the substantial positive influence of HRO activities on the intervention onset remains empirically robust.

Keywords

Humanitarian Interventions, Human Rights Organizations (HROs), Geopolitical Factors

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