Rebels without borders : transnational insurgencies in world politics / Idean Salehyan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Salehyan, Idean.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Insurgency.

Civil war.

Non-state actors (International relations).

Transnational sanctuaries (Military science).

Ethnic conflict.

Transborder ethnic groups.

World politics--1989-.

World politics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (215 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Rebellion, insurgency, civil war-conflict within a society is customarily treated as a matter of domestic politics and analysts generally focus their attention on local causes. Yet fighting between governments and opposition groups is rarely confined to the domestic arena. "Internal" wars often spill across national boundaries, rebel organizations frequently find sanctuaries in neighboring countries, and insurgencies give rise to disputes between states. In Rebels without Borders, which will appeal to students of international and civil war and those developing policies to contain the regional diffusion of conflict, Idean Salehyan examines transnational rebel organizations in civil conflicts, utilizing cross-national datasets as well as in-depth case studies. He shows how external Contra bases in Honduras and Costa Rica facilitated the Nicaraguan civil war and how the Rwandan civil war spilled over into the Democratic Republic of the Congo, fostering a regional war. He also looks at other cross-border insurgencies, such as those of the Kurdish PKK and Taliban fighters in Pakistan. Salehyan reveals that external sanctuaries feature in the political history of more than half of the world's armed insurgencies since 1945, and are also important in fostering state-to-state conflicts. Rebels who are unable to challenge the state on its own turf look for mobilization opportunities abroad. Neighboring states that are too weak to prevent rebel access, states that wish to foster instability in their rivals, and large refugee diasporas provide important opportunities for insurgent groups to establish external bases. Such sanctuaries complicate intelligence gathering, counterinsurgency operations, and efforts at peacemaking. States that host rebels intrude into negotiations between governments and opposition movements and can block progress toward peace when they pursue their own agendas.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Global Context of Civil War

1. A Theory of Transnational Rebellion

2. Transnational Rebels and Civil Violence

3. Transnational Rebels and International Conflict

4. The Nicaraguan Civil War

5. The Rwandan Civil War

Conclusion: Improving Theory and Policy

References

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780801477546

0801477549

9780801457975

0801457971

9780801459214

0801459214

OCLC:

966821557