Multilateral intervention in civil conflicts have been one of the most significant and contentious aspects of recent international affairs and the place of intervention in international politics has been a key focus of analysis since the end of the Cold War. Contemporary debates on intervention have been dominated by ethical and legal questions. In contrast, attention to the politics of intervention has diminished. This paper focuses on the political dimensions of intervention, both historically and in contemporary international affairs. After a definition of the terms of the debate, the paper considers the balance of political and ethical/normative aspects of intervention from the origins of the international system to the post-Cold War period. Careful analysis of the recent and current practice of intervention suggests that political motivation remains a central aspect of intervention, and an important constraint on the establishment of new norms of rights-based intervention.