Opportunistic Repression: Civilian Targeting by the State in Response to COVID-19

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Published: Fall 2021

Author
Donald Grasse

Author
Melissa Pavlik

Author
Hilary Matfess

Author
Travis B. Curtice

Ugandan police and other security forces chase people off the streets to avoid unrest, after police cleared a stand of motorcycle taxis which are no longer permitted to operate after all public transport was banned for two weeks to halt the spread of the new coronavirus, in Kampala, Uganda Thursday, March 26, 2020. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

Summary

Opportunistic repression arises when states exploit crises to suppress the political opposition. An examination of the relationship between COVID-19 shutdown policies in Africa and state violence against civilians tests this theory. A subnational case study of repression in Uganda also provides evidence that the increase in repression was concentrated in opposition areas that showed less support for Yoweri Museveni in the 2016 elections.

Recommended citation

Donald Grasse et al., "Opportunistic Repression: Civilian Targeting by the State in Response to COVID-19," International Security, Vol. 46, No. 2 (Fall 2021), pp. 130–165, doi.org/10.1162/isec_a_00419.