Conflict & Terrorism Studies with Wisdom

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ABSTRACT

Using data from 10 months of field research in Côte d’Ivoire, this article explores the question of why certain groups of ex-combatants in that country are interested in posing a threat to the state, while others are not. It finds that demobilised pro-Gbagbo fighters who have received the least from the post-conflict period are also those most apathetic about threatening the post-war order. The paper argues this is due to expectations among this group of combatants that they would receive meagre assistance in the aftermath of a conflict they had lost, and the perception that their post-war position would remain fixed. By contrast, those demobilised and reinserted Forces Nouvelles (FN) troops who had lofty expectations of the post-war period because of promises made to them during the conflict, were quick to become frustrated with the post-war reality and make aggressive demands of the government. The study underscores the importance of expectations management and effective communication strategies with ex-combatants in the aftermath of conflict. - Moody, Jessica. "Ex-combatants thinking differently: attitudes to threatening the state in post-conflict Côte d’Ivoire." Conflict, Security & Development (2020): 1-23.

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ABSTRACT

Despite the promise of the 2016 Colombian peace agreement, this paper argues that the intersection of poverty, insecurity and exclusion threatens sustainable peace in Colombia. In asserting this argument, the paper advances two case studies: the false positives scandal, which demonstrates the vulnerability of the poor to various security threats, and the coca eradication programme, which has fuelled further violence and economic insecurity on impoverished rural people. This paper uses these cases to highlight how poverty is used to legitimise, and is intertwined with, structural and physical violence in Colombia. These cases further shed light on the political economy of violence in Colombia, which legitimises the unequal distribution of wealth, exposes the poor to violence, and disguises crimes of the powerful through the narrative of the deviant or underserving poor and the rhetoric of maintaining security or advancing development. Fundamentally, this article posits that although the post-conflict moment presents a profound opportunity for transformational change, continued socio-economic inequalities and violence against the poor in Colombia will affect the ability to create a sustainable and meaningful peace. - Gordon, Eleanor, Sebastian Restrepo Henao, Alejandra Zuluaga Duque, and Elliot Dolan-Evans. "Power, poverty and peacebuilding: the violence that sustains inequalities and undermines peace in Colombia." Conflict, Security & Development (2020): 1-25.

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ABSTRACT

As opposed to the three decades following independence, interstate wars have become frequent in the African great lakes region since 1990. This article analyses the unravelling of these wars and looks at their causes and consequences. The conceptual framework to analyse the clear but convoluted line linking these conflicts is that of path dependence and critical junctures. Each stage is defined in these terms. The article shows that path dependence is the main explanatory factor, but that critical junctures have played out at crucial moments, including when the initial stage was set in Uganda. It concludes that a very longue durée path dependence can be found in Rwanda, where most threads of the conflicts converge. However, it also finds that extreme state weakness in Zaire/DR Congo has been and still is a major contributory factor to the cross-border violence. The article finally argues that the conceptual framework is not only useful as an analytical tool, but may also assist efforts in conflict prevention and management. - Reyntjens, Filip. "Path dependence and critical junctures: three decades of interstate conflict in the African great lakes region." Conflict, Security & Development (2020): 1-16.

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ABSTRACT

The phenomenon of governance by insurgents characterises many contexts of civil war and influences political, security, social, and economic dynamics in the original conflict zone and beyond. Therefore, understanding how different insurgents govern seems of crucial importance. However, in the existing literature, no typology has been advanced that captures the multiple dimensions of rebel governance and allows us to develop detailed and comparable assessments of the different patterns of rule implemented by different rebels. Considering this gap as a limit to the study of insurgent governance, the present paper aims to propose a multi-dimensional typology for investigating how rebels govern.  -Marta Furlan, "Understanding Governance by Insurgent Non-State Actors: A Multi-Dimensional Typology." Civil Wars (2020): 1-34.

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ABSTRACT

This research note looks at the radical influencers of Bosnian foreign fighters. This group is important, as the Balkan region has been seen as a spot of jihadist activism and recruitment for the IS and Al-Nusra Front. Previous research on foreign fighters emphasized that a small number of individuals (religious leaders, former combatants, and others) at the local level play a significant role in this recruitment. The influence of such figures results in hotspots of radical activism, which are called “power centers” here. This research note argues that such dynamics are likely to be even more evident in postwar societies due to state weaknesses, which create more power for social actors and inhibit counterterrorism. The paper also analyses the role of leader-led radical “institutions” that have appeared after the Bosnian War. By doing so, it stresses the significance of local radical influencers in the recruitment of Bosnian foreign fighters. The research note shows that radical influencers in postwar radical milieus manage to “institutionalize” their authority by filling the void left by domestic war(s) with life guidance and religious values. The paper provides insights into the social relations, authority and decision-making connected with foreign fighter departures to Syria and Iraq (2012-2016).                -Metodieva, Asya. "The Radical Milieu and Radical Influencers of Bosnian Foreign Fighters." Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (2020): 1-21.            

Publications on Conflict and Terrorism Studies