Issue linkage in security assistance: A pathway to recipient security sector reform

Date

2024-07-22

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Taylor and Francis

Abstract

This article applies the international cooperation concept of issue linkage to identify an overlooked pathway to successful security assistance. We argue that providers can effectively incentivise recipients to implement otherwise undesirable reforms when they explicitly link implementation to another good whose value to the recipient outweighs the costs of the reforms. Drawing on original interviews, we find support for our argument in post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), where the United States used the promise of NATO’s Partnership for Peace program to incentivise BiH to integrate its three armies.

Description

Keywords

international relations theory, security assistance, bosnia, defense reform, issue linkage, NATO

Citation

Max Margulies and Rachel Metz, "Issue linkage in security assistance: A pathway to recipient security sector reform," Journal of Strategic Studies (2024)