Rebels without Borders

Idean Salehyan

Description

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.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Revolutions
• Military history
• International relations
• Revolution

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 07 juillet 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801459214
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

REBELS WITHOUT BORDERS

REBELS WITHOUT BORDERS Transnational Insurgencies in World Politics

Idean Salehyan

Cornell University Press

Ithaca and London

Copyright © 2009 by Cornell University

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

First published 2009 by Cornell University Press

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Salehyan, Idean. Rebels without borders : transnational insurgencies in world politics / Idean Salehyan. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8014-4744-0 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Insurgency. 2. Civil war. 3. Non-state actors (International relations) 4. Transnational sanctuaries (Military science) 5. Ethnic conflict. 6. Transborder ethnic groups. 7. World politics—1989– I. Title. JC328.5.S32 2009 303.6'4—dc22 2008039223

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Cloth printing

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To my family, everywhere.

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Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Global Context of Civil War Caging the Leviathan: Understanding Transnational Insurgency 6 Why Go Transnational? 10 Trends and Definitions 11 Plan of the Book18

A Theory of Transnational Rebellion Intellectual Heritage 20 State Boundaries as International Institutions 26 Transnational Opposition 32 Neighboring States as Sanctuaries for Rebel Groups 40 Extraterritorial Mobilization and Conflict Bargaining 47 The Internationalization of Civil Conflict 50 Possibilities for Conflict Resolution 55

Transnational Rebels and Civil Violence Empirical Implications of the Theory 62 Measuring the Concepts 65 Quantitative Results 77 Extraterritorial Bases and Conflict Duration 82 International Borders and Ethnic Conflict 85 Evaluating the Evidence 89 Chapter 2 Appendix: Exploring Cause and Effect Relationships with Case Evidence 92

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Contents

Transnational Rebels and International Conflict Empirical Implications of the Theory 100 Measuring the Concepts 102 Quantitative Results 104 Exploring the Relationship through Case Narratives Rivalries, International Conflict, and TNR Support Evaluating the Evidence 120 Introduction to the Case Studies The Nicaraguan Civil War The Significance of Extraterritorial Bases 128 Beginning of the Peace Process 132 The End of the Contra War 142 Lessons Learned 143 The Rwandan Civil War Background to the Conflicts in Central Africa 146 Rwandan Intervention against Mobutu 149 Rwanda versus Kabila 152 The Peace Process 154 Evicting the Rebels 158 Lessons Learned 161 Evaluating the Case Studies 162 Conclusion: Improving Theory and Policy Summary of Major Findings 165 Improving Theories of Conflict 169 Policy Implications 172

References Index

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Acknowledgments

This is a book about transnationalism, diaspora politics, and war. It is diffi- cult to say for certain why a person becomes interested in a given topic, but my early childhood experiences have undoubtedly played a role. My family immigrated to the United States from Iran in the 1970s. In our home, news of conflict and violence—first the Islamic Revolution, then the Iran-Iraq War—were not distant abstractions but affected the daily lives of loved ones back “home.” Although my family is “typically American” in many ways, bonds of homeland, family, and culture remain strong. The dual pro- cesses of migration and war have shaped my life history, and they come to- gether in the pages that follow. Unfortunately, our experience was not unique; indeed, we were among the lucky ones. Despite huge advances in science and technology and countless volumes on the origins of war, hu- mankind has still not learned how to live together in peace. Although this book will not change that sad fact, I remain optimistic that progress is achievable, and I hope to play some small role in advancing that cause. My education helped me to channel a long-standing passion for issues of peace and social justice, and develop the skills needed to think deeply and critically about world events (even if I am not always right!). Perpetually a student, I continue to learn from the brilliant minds around me. From the beginning of this project through to its end, several people provided in- valuable support and guidance. As is fitting for a book on transnational ties, the ideas developed here and the actual writing took place at the Uni- versity of California, San Diego (UCSD); the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo; the University of North Texas; the University of Essex, UK; and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich. In each of these