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Some days just aren't dissertation days. The most academic thing I was able to get done today was go to a job talk and looong lunch with a candidate interviewing at the department. She had an interesting talk, though. She was looking at why African states intervene to do peacekeeping in other African states - when they often have their own stability problems at home, and even when there's no obvious direct security benefit to intervening in the target country. She concluded that these peacekeeping interventions occur because they elicit rewards from Western countries who otherwise might feel pressure to intervene themselves - rewards like easier aid with fewer good-governance conditions attached; or like military training and aid, which has a primary intent supporting the peacekeeping efforts, but which of course also helps leaders maintain stability and control at home... cynical, but plausible!