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The Politics of Intervention: Political Parties’ National Roles Conceptions in Foreign Policy Narratives on Military Intervention in Ongoing Conflict France, Germany and Libya 2011 Sissela Hannah Matzner PhD Politics and International Relations University of Edinburgh 2018 Page 2 of 250 Sissela Matzner | PhD Thesis Declaration I declare that this thesis has been composed solely by myself and that it has not been submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree. Except where stated otherwise by reference or acknowledgment, the work presented is entirely my own. Edinburgh, October 2018 Page 3 of 250 Sissela Matzner | PhD Thesis Page 4 of 250 Sissela Matzner | PhD Thesis Abstract This doctoral thesis asks what ideational factors underlie parties’ national role conceptions in narratives on violent conflict and crises abroad. It explores French and German parties' national role statements in the case of the 2011 military intervention in Libya. The thesis lies at the intersection of Foreign Policy Analysis research focused on domestic foreign policy actors, International Relations studies on ideas in international relations and Party Politics scholarship looking at international issues in party campaigns and competition. It develops a theoretical framework using role theory and combines it with scholarship on international norms and ideologies. It contributes to role research on domestic role contestation and role socialisation. It adds a study of parties' national roles to this scholarship. It also advances the conceptual development of the role theory approach through an exploration of the responsibility concept within national roles. The main finding of the thesis is that parties often agree on the national role but sometimes interpret the same role differently. Moreover, sometimes parties can propose alternative national roles. The theoretical framework permits to trace variation in role interpretation to foreign policy traditions, international norms and ideologies. The central argument is that parties do not necessarily agree on the national role and its interpretation even when confronted with the same situation and events. It suggests that variation in national role interpretation can matter because parties contest the national role and, thereby, may point to role conflicts and dilemmas that may have an effect on future role selection and performance. Page 5 of 250 Sissela Matzner | PhD Thesis Page 6 of 250 Sissela Matzner | PhD Thesis Acknowledgements The support and guidance of a number of people has made this PhD thesis possible. In particular, I thank my supervisors Juliet Kaarbo and Andrea Birdsall in the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. Their supervision was decisive for the maturing process and coming together of this thesis. They gave me tremendous support throughout the project on academic and professional matters. It is only with hindsight that I understand the subtle ways in which some of their guidance took place. I am grateful for their approach to teaching and supervision. This type of training allowed me to discover ways of research myself rather than being told how to do it. I firmly believe that while this may take more time during the apprentice period, it is more sustainable by helping me to develop into an independent researcher. In this way, Julie and Andrea’s supervision was also a great example to follow in the future. I am also thankful for the academic community in the Politics and International Relations department. I received excellent guidance and comments on research in progress by senior research staff. I learnt to overcome fear of presenting and discussing drafts in the research groups, observing that everyone starts from raw drafts. I was fortunate to meet colleagues and even make friends among my PhD student peers. May Darwich’s early encouragements and regular meetings with Hsinyen Lai to go over weekly progress, discuss challenges and encourage each other at the later stages of our PhD were of particular value to me. Last but not least, as a self-funded student, I appreciated the support of members of staff who gave me opportunities to work for them and guided me in new tasks. I am thankful to Eve Hepburn who was the first to hire me based on an application to an administrative assistance job that led to many other opportunities. I also thank Elizabeth Bomberg for her help and support throughout. I am thankful to Christine Bell in the School of Law for hiring me. From a short-term job sprang more opportunities to contribute to the Political Settlements Research Programme. This experience helped my professional development and generated the income that allowed me to finish the PhD. I thank colleagues in my PhD office and Joyce Cubitt, Jo Richards and Shannon Twist. Andreas Hackl, Anna Pultar and Su Hu became good friends. At times, when I was working and trying to find time for the PhD, Joyce was the person I interacted with the most, when I came into the office in the early mornings. I am grateful for her kindness. Jo kept me half-sane and fit with her dance classes. Exchanging work- life experiences with Shannon, I believe we became friends. I thank interviewees for their time. They have helped humanise faceless research. I also thank my mother's friends Doris Bertrand in Paris and Eva and Walter Lack in Berlin who so kindly hosted me during my fieldwork! I am grateful to have had the pleasure to meet the late Eric Hobsbawm, as a fellow Viennese, and thank him for his early guidance. His curiosity and care for people are an inspiration. I can only hope to become half the inquisitive, open-minded person that he was. Last but not least, I am forever grateful for and to my close family and friends who supported and encouraged me through this process. I thank, in particular, Nora Frohnecke, Carmen Navarro and Orna Young. Page 7 of 250 Sissela Matzner | PhD Thesis Dedications I am also eternally grateful for and to my mother Gabriele Matzner for her constant belief in me, her encouragement and for her moral support. She has read many of my drafts and has endured the development of my thoughts on the subject of this thesis and during my previous degrees. Although she claims to enjoy proofreading and editing, I can only thank her for trying to get to the bottom of my messy thinking (and writing). I dedicate this PhD to her and my late father Egon Matzner whose opinion on this thesis and everything else in my life and in this world, I would do anything for and would be forever grateful for. I miss him daily and wonder who I would be if he was still here today. Page 8 of 250 Sissela Matzner | PhD Thesis Table of content Acronyms ......................................................................................................................................................... 13 List of images ................................................................................................................................................. 14 List of tables .................................................................................................................................................... 14 Dates .................................................................................................................................................................. 14 Notes on Translations ................................................................................................................................. 14 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 15 1. Research question, aims and relevance .................................................................. 16 1.1. Research aims ........................................................................................................ 17 1.2. Thesis relevance .................................................................................................... 18 2. Defining parties for foreign policy research .......................................................... 20 2.1. Party origins and representational functions ..................................................... 20 2.2. Party cleavages and party competition issues .................................................... 21 2.3. Parties as carriers of ideas and thesis’ party definition ..................................... 22 3. Foreign Policy Analysis and Party Research .......................................................... 23 3.1. FPA: parties’ opportunities, incentives and ideas ............................................... 24 3.2. Parties and military