Report calls for greater use of realpolitik in diplomatic and military interventions

The study, based on 21 global conflicts, represents the British government’s most thorough analysis of what makes external diplomatic and military interventions succeed or fail.

The Guardian reports that it was published by the cross-developmental Stabilisation Unit, comprising the Ministry of Defence, Department for International Development and the Foreign Office.

“There will be times when we have to hold our nose and support dialogue with those who oppose our values, or who may have committed war crimes,” said Alistair Burt, a Foreign Office minister who commissioned the report.

Mr Burt said at the launch of the report that it is an analytical tool.

He added: “All too often in the past we have shied away from engaging with individuals or groups that our moral or political judgments deemed unpalatable.

“Or, alternatively, we have sought to apply overly formal and technical solutions to what are essentially political problems.”

Dr Christine Cheng, a lecturer in war studies and one of the report’s authors, said a sophisticated understanding of existing powers is necessary for successful interventions.

She said: “We need to think harder about these things because we are getting so much wrong. If we keep on doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, then we are fools. We need to rethink a lot about our approach.”