The Effect of Humanitarian Intervention on States: A Political Perspective

Humanitarian intervention has long been promoted as a tool to minimize suffering and resolve conflict, yet its growing use has produced mixed consequences that demand closer evaluation. This literature review examines the benefits, drawbacks, and long-term effects of humanitarian intervention through a political perspective. While technological advances and peacebuilding practices have strengthened certain interventions, evidence also reveals recurring patterns of instability, protracted violence, and threats to state sovereignty. The blurred motives behind many interventions—often shaped by political and economic interests—raise questions about the erosion of altruism in humanitarian aid. Historical cases such as NATO’s action in Libya highlight the dangers of poorly planned interventions, which can undermine independence and worsen conflict. This paper argues for reassessing the current system, weighing reforms that modify existing structures alongside proposals for a broader non-statist order, to ensure humanitarian intervention remains consistent with its original purpose of protecting human dignity.