Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world

Past Event
Seminar

Hanging Together and Falling Apart: Explaining Cohesion, Fragmentation, and Control in Insurgent Groups

Open to the Public

Insurgent and paramilitary organizations face lethal pressures from government forces and rival militants. In the face of these challenges, some groups are able to maintain discipline and internal unity, while others falter in a haze of splits and violent feuds. These differences help to explain patterns of human rights abuses, military effectiveness, and peace negotiation outcomes. Why are some groups more cohesive than others? The speaker will examine this question through a detailed comparative study of twenty-four armed groups involved in prolonged ethnic insurgencies in Kashmir, Northern Ireland, and Sri Lanka.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come-first served basis.

Date: Time: - Location: Littauer Building - Belfer Center Library, Room 369
Mural for a Protestant paramilitary organization in the Sandy Row neighborhood of South Belfast, Northern Ireland.

About

Insurgent and paramilitary organizations face lethal pressures from government forces and rival militants. In the face of these challenges, some groups are able to maintain discipline and internal unity, while others falter in a haze of splits and violent feuds. These differences help to explain patterns of human rights abuses, military effectiveness, and peace negotiation outcomes. Why are some groups more cohesive than others? The speaker will examine this question through a detailed comparative study of twenty-four armed groups involved in prolonged ethnic insurgencies in Kashmir, Northern Ireland, and Sri Lanka. By studying multiple groups within the same conflict over time, he isolates fine-grained causes of variation. The findings are that the most cohesive groups are built upon narrow, but robust preexisting networks of collective action and rely on significant material support from state sponsors and diasporas.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come-first served basis.