ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a better understanding of all the relationships, but also to make a first attempt at a more critical assessment of the idea of coherence. It deals with a taxonomy of various relationships between the actors in an intervention: four types of relationships, and six degrees of coherence. The chapter discusses in greater detail some of the obstacles that restrict the prospects of coherence: output vs. impact; conflicting mandates and values; and internal/external imbalance. It argues that there are obvious limits to coherence, and that ‘success’ in this regard is highly context-dependent. The pursuit of coherence has become an increasingly central objective among intervening actors and their programmes and activities in interventions since the end of the Cold War. Seeking to improve the overall success rate of these missions, various agencies, governments and organizations have developed a range of concepts, models and tools aimed at enhancing overall coherence.
