International Intervention Research Articles

Combating infections under siege: Healthcare challenges amidst the military assault in Gaza

AbstractThe ongoing Israeli military assault on Gaza has caused a devastating collapse of healthcare infrastructure, resulting in an unprecedented surge in infectious diseases. The destruction of sanitation systems, restrictions on medical supplies, and displacement of civilians have created an environment conducive to the rapid spread of waterborne, vector‐borne, and antibiotic‐resistant infections. This paper draws from the insights of local Palestinian healthcare workers and recent medical missions conducted by FAJR Scientific, the Palestine American Medical Association, and Doctors Without Borders, examining infection control efforts under extreme constraints. The missions encountered major challenges, such as the absence of sterile equipment, inadequate access to clean water, and disrupted healthcare services. These conditions have exacerbated the spread of diseases such as hepatitis, meningitis, and polio, with severe impacts on Gaza's pediatric population. Efforts to implement infection control measures, such as telemedicine consultations, wound care protocols, and antibiotic stewardship, were heavily impeded by the ongoing blockade. The paper underscores the critical importance of lifting the siege to allow humanitarian access and to address the root causes of the infectious disease crisis in Gaza. It also highlights the resilience of Palestinian healthcare workers who continue to provide care under these dire circumstances. The recommendations outlined aim to support future medical teams working in conflict zones by providing practical strategies for infection prevention and control amidst such sustained violence. These efforts are contingent on international intervention and an end to the systematic blockade that has weaponized healthcare access.

Obliged tolerance: Power at the intersection of everyday peace and the intervention economy

This article explores the economic relationships of host and refugee communities in the context of international humanitarian interventions and their implications for everyday peace. It argues for an expanded understanding of power in everyday peace, incorporating an analysis of the interplay between international interventions, local power dynamics and everyday peace. It responds to the call for increased attention to the economic dimensions of peacebuilding, particularly at the local level. The article introduces the concept of obliged tolerance to explain some of the socioeconomic motivations for different actors in the intervention economy to engage in everyday peace processes. Those benefitting from the international intervention actuate less empowered community members to practice tolerance for peaceful coexistence which sustains the economic benefits derived from the intervention economy. The findings from research conducted in Lebanon indicate that humanitarian interventions shape a peace that primarily benefits affluent and influential actors, while marginalised individuals engage in everyday peace for survival and to pursue socioeconomic opportunities. By integrating an analysis of everyday economic interactions, this article highlights the role of power dynamics and economic motivations based on obliged tolerance in shaping everyday peace, challenging conventional notions of everyday peace as a social coping mechanism that people practice entirely voluntarily.

A Review of Chatbots Application on Supporting International Students’ Mental Health

International students face distinctive challenges, including acculturative stress, homesickness, language barriers, and heightened academic expectations. As a result, their mental health and overall well-being have become subjects of growing concern and significance in academic and support communities worldwide. The emergence of AI technologies, like ChatGPT, opens new avenues for international student mental health interventions. However, no specific Chatbot has been approved as effective for this population. This study aims to comprehensively summarize Chatbot applications in mental health counseling and analyze the challenges of applying them to international students. The study found that prominent Chatbots could demonstrate efficacy in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety through techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Chatbots are becoming integral to mental health care, providing accessible and evidence-based interventions and psychoeducation. Compared with traditional in-personal mental health counselling, a Chatbot is more functioning in providing personalized therapy sessions, essay accessibility, real-time responses, and suitable assistance, which could solve current challenges and unmet mental health counselling needs of international students. Despite their potential, ethical considerations and privacy challenges must be addressed to ensure reliable and secure use. Continued refinement is needed for international students’ application to enhance multicultural sensitivity, the accuracy of cross-language interpretation, and personalization. The evolution of Chatbots holds significant promise for enhancing mental health support, particularly for international students navigating and coping with their unique challenges.

Formulas for Autocratic Stability: A Review Article

Abstract Drawing on the analytical framework of Johannes Gerschewski's The Two Logics of Autocratic Rule, we explore the complexities of autocratic stability by examining the mechanisms through which autocrats preserve their regimes. We review Gerschewski's data set and arguments and provide our assessment regarding the empirical validity of Gerschewski's theory and tests. While Gerschewski's two logics of autocratic rule offer insightful understandings, the role of situational dynamics, international intervention, and political succession in influencing autocratic stability are underrated or neglected. The survival of an autocratic regime is not solely based on the prevention and preemption of challenges from political opponents, but also depends on the performance of regular governance functions along with a monopoly of political power and the resolution of leadership issues. The path-dependent nature of autocratic stability requires analysis of autocratic regime subtypes to effectively contextualize and generalize the patterns of political succession under different logics of autocratic rule. Lacking a comprehensive characterization of autocratic subtypes, the main contribution of Gerschewski's book is more theoretical than empirical.

Determinants of International Non-governmental Organization’s Aid Upon Dalit in Bringing Behavioral Policy Governance

The caste system is the stratification of social structure based on Hinduism that has placed the Dalits in the lower strata and made to face various forms of inhuman atrocities and discrimination. The post-independent era of India is influenced by the different types of aid from international non-governmental organizations (INGO). The study looked at the effectiveness of international NGOs intervention in the Dalit community especially in promoting human rights and enhancing socio-economic development, especially in Villupuram District of Tamil Nadu. The struggle of resistance against discrimination by the Dalit community has been a continuous process and it is found that the situation has improved a lot after a lot of activism, social action, and community work through the help of NGOs. Continued efforts by INGOs advocating Dalit-driven policies at various levels are required to liberate the Dalits with the support of the government and various stakeholders.

The Druze District Governor Nasib Beik Jumblatt and the Ottoman Policy in Mount Lebanon

This study examines the policies of the Ottoman Empire in the Shouf region during the 19th century, focusing on the prominent figures of the area. In this context, the Ottoman state's approach to the influence of Nasib Jumblatt, a significant political figure from the Jumblatt family, in the region will be discussed. As the Ottoman central government's authority weakened in the 19th century, the rivalry between the Jumblatts and Arslans, two long-standing families in the region, intensified. As a result, acquiring the district governorship of Shouf, where the Druze were densely populated, became crucial for perpetuating the influence of both families. For this reason, this study examines the political maneuvers of the Arslan and Jumblatt families in order to control the district of Shouf, as well as the activities of Nasib Jumblatt as district governor. The study will also discuss the manifestations of international interventions in Mount Lebanon. Finally, the Ottoman state's approach to the British influence in shaping Nasib Jumblatt's political identity will be another aspect of the study.

National sovereignty in light of international intervention

The Charter of the United Nations prohibits the use of force and stipulates two principles in international relations, namely the sovereignty of States and non-interference in the internal affairs of States. Intervention is illegal. In fact, the principle of non-intervention poses problems, especially when it comes to human rights, intervention in order to spread or protect democracy, intervention to confront the spread of weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism, or in order to change political regimes or liberate peoples and others. Accordingly, the sovereignty of states under international intervention is threatened by a number of dangers, and it is feared for the future of national sovereignty, especially after being overruled by the international institutions that sponsor international legitimacy. Sovereignty is the legal basis of the state, which by violating it, the role of the nation-state dissolves, and national loyalty to other concepts is affected, as well as its inability to control its economic resources and the decline of social justice.

Adaptation in Global Semiconductor Supply Chains: Insights from the COVID-19 Pandemic and Strategic Responses

Abstract—This study examines the global semiconductor supply chain disruptions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly focusing on their impact on the automotive and electronics industries. The research highlights that these disruptions were exacerbated by systemic vulnerabilities such as just-in-time manufacturing, geopolitical tensions, and reliance on complex global interdependencies. Through case studies of companies like Tesla and Hyundai, the study demonstrates the critical role of adaptability and supply chain resilience in mitigating the effects of semiconductor shortages. Firms that diversified suppliers or employed technological innovations, like software adjustments, were better equipped to manage the crisis. Additionally, the study underscores the importance of international cooperation, government intervention, and technological advancements in forecasting and supply chain management to build more resilient systems. The research identifies significant gaps in understanding the long-term resilience of semiconductor supply chains, calling for sustainable, scalable solutions to manage future disruptions. Keywords— Semiconductor shortages, global supply chain disruptions, automotive and electronics industries, resilience, geopolitical tensions, technological innovation, government policy, circular economy principles, AI, and machine learning in supply chains.

Syrian War Economies

Abstract Accounts of the Syrian conflict tend to emphasize “top-down” geopolitics or “bottom-up” local-national conflict dynamics. As a contribution to this roundtable on rethinking war economies, I argue that political economy and comparative approaches can help explain the connections between global-regional processes and domestic institutional transformations brought by war. Institutional development under Asad left a contradictory legacy: the Syrian regime was incapable of compromise with domestic opposition in 2011, but it proved resilient in the ensuing devastating war that subjected the government to international sanctions, external interventions, and territorial fragmentation. The Syrian regime responded to these shocks by reconfiguring its elite networks of power, which further blurred the lines between formal and informal institutions. As its financial resources dropped, the regime initiated new economic policies, but these attempts were refracted through the distortions of the war, and either became predatory or were paradoxically blocked by the elite networks crafted earlier as a survival strategy.

A paradigm shift in international security as a consequence of the Russia-Ukraine war

This article presents the main features of the historical genesis of the international security paradigm shift from its institutionalisation to the present day. It is shown that such genesis is sinusoidal in nature and related to the well-known 'Kondratiev waves', except that, unlike the latter, it is not economic in nature, but security in nature. In a historical and geopolitical context, five successive shifts in the international security paradigm (Pre-Systemic, Westphalian, Vienna, Versailles, Yalta-Potsdam, Unipolar) are distinguished as a normatively recognised system of international relations of war and peace, based on all countries' adherence to universally recognised principles and norms of international law, as enshrined in relevant international treaties. The main factors of the end of the era of the unipolar world and the growing role of 'fragile' states in the international security environment as potential objects of international military interventions and spaces for the deployment of local conflicts and wars were characterised. It was concluded that the war in Ukraine is a key trigger for a new paradigm shift in international security and the emergence of a new system of international relations, and that the outcome of the Russian-Ukrainian war will determine the 'starting positions' and strong arguments in the hands of the United States of America and its allies against China and its allies during the inevitable new global security conference on the creation of a new world order.

Knowledge on fire: the impact of conflict and violence on education in Afghanistan

ABSTRACT This article examines the impact of armed conflict on the education system in Afghanistan between 2001–2021. Using critical ethnography as its main research approach, the article draws on the perceptions and experiences of varying educational stakeholders (n = 103) to identify different forms of setbacks, which the wider educational community endured at the intersection of international intervention and an armed conflict. The article builds critical insights into the dynamic and simultaneous processes of interactions and relationships between armed conflict and education and the mechanisms that facilitated their sustenance, and its implications for education. The article illustrates how the education system in Afghanistan was implicated by persistent violence under the disguise of recovery interventions and implicated educational stakeholders’ agency that is crucial for enabling educational transformations amid violence and fragility.

Unveiling Srebrenica: a Dual Perspective on the 1995 Genocide UN and VRS Documents

In July 1995, the Army of the Serb Republic (VRS) and paramilitary forces carried out a genocide in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina that claimed the lives of over 8,000 Muslims. Understanding this tragic period necessitates an examination of documents from the United Nations (UN) and the VRS. According to UN documents, it was ill-equipped and underprepared to deal with the situation. Daily reports suggest insufficient resources, restricted movement, and dependence on rumors owing to limited access to information, limiting their capacity to deliver meaningful aid. VRS records illustrate the organized character of the genocide through explicit talks and coded language used to hide operations. However, critical personal histories and contextual information on the VRS members are missing, leaving unresolved questions regarding motivations. Documents from both the UN and VRS provide distinct viewpoints. UN records highlight the problems of an underprepared organization, while VRS testimony sheds light on the organized nature of the genocide. Through an analysis of daily UN reports and select testimony from VRS members at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), this paper argues that the shortcomings of international intervention and the deliberate, organized actions of the VRS were crucial factors in enabling the genocide at Srebrenica, shedding light on both the failures of the global community and the calculated strategies employed by those responsible.

The Mpox Threat: Challenges and Implications of Clade Ib for Afghanistan's Healthcare Stability.

The global spread of the Mpox virus represents a significant public health challenge, particularly for regions with fragile healthcare systems. Afghanistan, already grappling with severe healthcare deficits, faces the added threat of Mpox, a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus. The recent emergence of Clade Ib, a new strain associated with rising outbreak cases, exacerbates concerns as Afghanistan's healthcare infrastructure continues to deteriorate due to reduced international aid, healthcare worker shortages, and an ongoing socio-political crisis. This commentary underscores the urgent need for international intervention to avert a potential public health crisis that could devastate Afghanistan's already weakened healthcare system. It calls for immediate support to enhance disease surveillance, improve healthcare infrastructure, and address the pressing challenges of malnutrition and access to medical services.

Review of domestic and international intervention studies to improve oral health in pregnant women

Review of domestic and international intervention studies to improve oral health in pregnant women

Alliances and Civil War Intervention

Abstract Governments have a number of structural advantages over rebel groups in civil wars, one of which is their greater ability to make credible international commitments. Governments can use foreign policy commitments to incentivize other states to provide them military support or deny support to their rebel groups. We analyze international intervention in civil conflicts between 1975 and 2017 and find that some kinds of alliances are associated with pro-government intervention, but all alliances are not equal. Alliances with consultation commitments are associated with interventions that provide materiel, training, intelligence, and/or other forms of non-troop support, while defense pacts are associated with both troop and non-troop support. Members of nonaggression and neutrality pacts are not more likely to intervene to support the government but are less likely to provide support to anti-government forces. We argue that alliances are not simply proxies for common interests; they sometimes involve specific bargains designed to aid a government in defeating rebels. Our evidence suggests that these agreements are successful at incentivizing the intended behavior. Governments use international security policy to protect the status quo domestically as well as internationally, and this affects our understanding both of civil wars and of alliance politics.

The Role of the Constituent Assembly (Constitutional Convention) in Approving the Cuban Constitution and the American Position (1900-1901)

The first constitution that Cuba adopted following the end of the Spanish occupation was known as the Platt Amendment or Constitution. Named for Orville H. Platt, the Chairman of the Committee, it is a treaty between the United States and Cuba. On February 25, 1901, this amendment was filed, and on February 27, 1901, it was accepted by the Senate; nevertheless, it wasn't officially authorized until May 2, 1903. The most significant of its eight points was that the United States had forced Cuba to sign any treaty with any foreign nation or authority and had forbidden it from taking on any public debt (loan) that would have required interest, Furthermore, this amendment permitted the United States to lease or purchase property for the construction of naval bases, such as Guantanamo Bay, and coal supply stations in Cuba, as well as to engage in significant internal and international intervention in Cuban affairs. This study aims to discuss the role of how the United States of America wanted to control cuba in political, economic and security terms through this constitutional convention.

CUREMA project: a further step towards malaria elimination among hard-to-reach and mobile populations

BackgroundIn most countries engaged on the last mile towards malaria elimination, residual transmission mainly persists among vulnerable populations represented by isolated and mobile (often cross-border) communities. These populations are sometimes involved in informal or even illegal activities. In regions with Plasmodium vivax transmission, the specific biology of this parasite poses additional difficulties related to the need for a radical treatment against hypnozoites to prevent relapses. Among hard-to-reach communities, case management, a pillar of elimination strategy, is deficient: acute malaria attacks often occur in remote areas, where there is limited access to care, and drugs acquired outside formal healthcare are often inadequately used for treatment, which typically does not include radical treatment against P. vivax. For these reasons, P. vivax circulation among these communities represents one of the main challenges for malaria elimination in many non-African countries. The objective of this article is to describe the protocol of the CUREMA study, which aims to meet the challenge of targeting malaria in hard-to-reach populations with a focus on P. vivax.ResultsCUREMA is a multi-centre, international public health intervention research project. The study population is represented by persons involved in artisanal and small-scale gold mining who are active and mobile in the Guiana Shield, deep inside the Amazon Forest. The CUREMA project includes a complex intervention composed of a package of actions: (1) health education activities; (2) targeted administration of treatment against P. vivax after screening against G6PD deficiency to asymptomatic persons considered at risk of silently carrying the parasite; (3) distribution of a self-testing and self-treatment kit (malakit) associated with user training for self-management of malaria symptoms occurring while in extreme isolation. These actions are offered by community health workers at settlements and neighbourhoods (often cross-border) that represent transit and logistic bases of gold miners. The study relies on hybrid design, aiming to evaluate both the effectiveness of the intervention on malaria transmission with a pre/post quasi-experimental design, and its implementation with a mixed methods approach.ConclusionsThe purpose of this study is to experiment an intervention that addresses both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria elimination in a mobile and isolated population and to produce results that can be transferred to many contexts facing the same challenges around the world.

Global Models, Victim Disconnect and Demands for International Intervention: The Dilemma of Decoloniality and Transitional Justice in Sri Lanka

Abstract This article uses Sri Lanka as a case study to impel engagement of decoloniality with transitional justice. It identifies gaps in the literature critical of transitional justice, specifically structural interpretations of power hierarchies, state-centrism and disregard of ethnicity and religion. It thereby uses a decolonial analytical lens on empirical findings from Sri Lanka’s failed transitional justice process to identify and understand continuing colonial power structures, including epistemic coloniality. The empirical findings offer three new insights. First, an ideational, structural and procedural disconnection between victims and the global transitional justice model is noted. The article traces how victim positioning and this disconnection were disregarded in favour of an internationally authoritative, credible and universal model of transitional justice. Second, the ethno-religious challenges to transitional justice, which include its reliance on the state as a neutral provider of justice, are highlighted. The third finding, however, on victim demands for greater international involvement, presents a dilemma to future decolonial consideration of transitional justice. Despite only using decoloniality as an analytical tool, the article nevertheless demonstrates the need for deeper reform, including at the epistemic level, for transformation to occur within the field.

A glance at the COVID-19 epidemic control system in Taiwan: implications for organizational crisis management and leadership in black swan events

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic caused substantial impacts and uncertainty in the world. For human resource leaders compelled into new roles in light of the pandemic, this paper used an exemplary case – Taiwan – to (1) discuss lessons and takeaways from the Taiwanese government’s and organizations’ response to the pandemic and (2) identify the structure of a pandemic control model and effective leadership behaviours at the national level that may be adopted in business settings to decrease the disruptive effects of a crisis. While efficient subsystems in organizational governance, policy, leadership, and culture are essential to combat a crisis, the evidence from Taiwan’s case in these contexts highlights the importance of various infrastructures and communication pathways in crisis management. The study aims to advance the understanding of effective responses and leadership skills in times of crisis and contribute to human resource literature and policy development in business settings. Human resource professionals and leaders play an important role as change agents to reduce the disruptive effects of a black swan event and can benefit from this study to be prepared for future crises. Implications for international human resource interventions in crisis management and leadership and recommendations for future research are provided.

Optimizing Postpartum Depression Prevention in Primary Health Care Services

Post-partum depression (PPD) is a post-natal disorder that not only impacts the mental health of the mother but also has long-term effects on the development and well-being of the child and family. PPD is a preventable disorder, starting from interventions at primary health care facilities. As one of the developing countries with a PPD incidence of 22% per 100,000 births, PPD is considered an urgent public health issue in Indonesia. In practice, evaluation, and improvement of services at primary health care facilities are needed. This study aims to identify and adapt international intervention strategies to reduce post-partum depression prevalence in Indonesian primary health care. A scoping review analysis method was used, involving previous studies on activities from pregnancy to post-partum that can prevent and reduce post-partum depression. The reviewed articles employed Randomized Controlled Trials or Randomized Clinical Trials (RCT) methods with specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected from relevant sources, and a synthesis was conducted on 16 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The results show that direct psychological support activities (through health professionals or groups) and indirect support using digital platforms and applications are effective in reducing depression. Strategies such as digital technology, direct support programs, physical therapy, pharmacological therapy, community involvement, and strengthening health services, particularly post-partum psychological counseling, are recommended to enhance prevention. This research supports the expansion of evidence-based strategies that can be implemented in primary healthcare facilities to address post-partum depression.