Conclusion

Summary

The goal of this book is to develop a deeper understanding of interstate military intervention into and within Africa. We marshaled a mixed-methods approach to look beyond individual cases and idiosyncratic events and to acquire broader knowledge on an understudied phenomenon of growing importance in Africa. Our results underscore the complexity of the topic, and that multiple, equifinal paths are required to shed adequate light on the use of interstate military force in Africa. This outcome was not unexpected given the range of different state actors involved and the distinct environments that different African and external actors operate within. Despite this complexity, clear patterns are evident. They vary across the set of actors analyzed and across individual actors, but they demonstrate the sets of conditions and the pathways that produce interstate military interventions in Africa.