ABSTRACT

This chapter addresses the variation in the impact of foreign intervention. It explores the theoretical explanations of the mechanisms through which foreign assistance impacts upon belligerents' capabilities in civil war. Foreign intervention involves the transfer of resources from an external power to one side in the civil war. The chapter proposes explanations for the varying impact that economic, indirect military and direct military assistance have on the capabilities of recipients. It also explores the way in which variation in the characteristics of recipients themselves can affect the impact of foreign intervention. The chapter expresses that the resource conversion system is useful for explaining the varying impacts of different types of foreign intervention as each type enters the system at different stages. Belligerents can reduce the effect of attenuation by improving the efficiency of their resource conversion systems.