Essays on Border Security and Civil Conflict / Christopher W Blair.

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Blair, Christopher W., author.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania. Political Science, degree granting institution.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political science.

Political Science--Penn dissertations.

Penn dissertations--Political Science.

Local Subjects:

Political science.

Political Science--Penn dissertations.

Penn dissertations--Political Science.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (202 pages)

Distribution:

Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2023

Contained In:

Dissertations Abstracts International 84-12A.

Place of Publication:

[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania] : University of Pennsylvania, 2022.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

From Syria and Iraq to Afghanistan, Ukraine, India, and Somalia, recent episodes of civil conflict highlight three prominent phenomena: (1) the United States is increasingly funding border control initiatives abroad, with an eye toward countering transnational, non-state threats; (2) borders are hardening in response, with counterinsurgents' efforts to secure borders against transnational militancy partially driving this trend; and (3) because rebels often exploit transnational safe havens, border control efforts that interdict transnational militant operations have important implications for the microdynamics of civil conflict. In this dissertation, I provide empirical support for these claims using a multi-method design. First, I show that aid and training programs for border security, which the United States has created since 2001, have induced developing recipient states to harden their borders. Second, I examine how border fortification during Operation Iraqi Freedom shaped rebel violence during the conflict. I posit a fortification dilemma, whereby border fortification reduced insurgent capabilities but spurred insurgents to build closer ties with civilian communities in the Iraqi borderlands. Third, I examine the social and economic consequences of border fortification in Afghanistan between 2008 and 2014. I identify a trade-off between security and corruption incumbent in border control strategies. By expanding state capacity in peripheral border regions, fortification improves government security provision and the perceived legitimacy of the central state. However, by dislocating traditional, cross-border markets, fortification spurs economic resistance and corruption by informal economic elites. Together, these papers underscore causes and consequences of border hardening in fragile, conflict-affected settings.

Notes:

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 84-12, Section: A.

Advisors: Simmons, Beth A.; Committee members: Horowitz, Michael C.; Weisiger, Alex.

Department: Political Science.

Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania 2023.

Local Notes:

School code: 0175

ISBN:

9798379750879

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.