Week 7: Civil War

Question 1

How does Small and Singer (1982) define a civil war?

Answer 1

As an internal armed conflict within the main territory (metropole) of a state, involving active participation by the national government and resistance by both sides.

Question 2

What distinguishes a civil war from terrorism or genocide?

Answer 2

Civil wars involve mutual violence between organised groups, while terrorism and genocide target civilians with no expectation of resistance.

Question 3

What are the two main types of civil wars?

Answer 3

Center-Seeking Wars: Rebels aim to overthrow the government or change its composition.
Separatist (Secessionist) Wars: Rebels aim to create a new state or gain autonomy within the existing state.

Question 4

How does the COW project define “war”?

Answer 4

As a conflict that results in a minimum of 1,000 battle-related deaths within a 12-month period.

Question 5

What are the key differences between the COW and UCDP/PRIO datasets in terms of thresholds for defining conflict?

Answer 5

COW: Requires a minimum of 1,000 battle-related deaths per year.
UCDP/PRIO: Uses a lower threshold of 25 annual battle-related deaths, capturing smaller-scale conflicts.

Question 6

Why is UCDP/PRIO considered the standard for civil war research?

Answer 6

Because it has a lower threshold for defining conflicts, allowing it to capture a broader range of intrastate armed conflicts.

Question 7

What does the UCDP/PRIO dataset emphasize in its research?

Answer 7

It focuses on intrastate conflicts post-1946, particularly civil wars involving governments and rebel groups.
It includes conflicts with external actors and tracks trends in internationalized civil wars.

Question 8

What are the primary types of conflicts studied by the COW dataset?

Answer 8

• Interstate Wars: Between states.
• Intrastate/Civil Wars: Within a state involving the government and non-state actors.
• Extra-Systemic Wars: Colonial or imperial conflicts involving a state and non-state actors outside its territory.

Question 9

why is there an increase in conflicts in the Middle East and Africa?

Answer 9

Rise of islamic state

Question 10

What are some indirect deaths of extrastate wars?

Answer 10

famine, public health crises, economic costs, and displacement of reguees

Question 11

Amongst the three types of wars, which one has the largest total of deaths?

Answer 11

Intrastate war (civil war) due to its higher frequency of ocurence

Question 12

why do death rates in battle–related deaths decrease?

Answer 12

improve battlefields medical care and shorter conflict duration

Question 13

what is the difference between grievance-based, opportunity-based, and greed-based explanations?

Answer 13

Grievance based: focuses on perceived injustices and motive in driving rebellion
Opportunity: conditions that make rebellion feasible -> weak states, resources availability, geographic factors
Greed: self-interest and materialistic possession

Question 14

What is the central idea of grievance theory in civil war explanations?

Answer 14

Grievance theory suggests that perceived injustices such as inequality, exclusion, or oppression drive discontent, which can lead to violent mobilization and civil wars

Question 15

What are some challenges faced by grievance theory?

Answer 15

Not all discontent leads to civil war. Researchers must identify specific types of grievances, like ethnic discrimination or political exclusion, that are most likely to escalate into violent conflict

Question 16

What did Cederman et al. (2010) suggest about ethnic conflict?

Answer 16

When ethnic groups are marginalised or excluded from political power, grievances intensify, increasing the likelihood of conflict

Question 17

What is the core principle of nationalism, as defined by Ernest Gellner (1983)?

Answer 17

Nationalism is the political principle that holds “the political and the national unit should be congruent,” meaning that governance should align with a shared national or ethnic identity.

Question 18

What are the two core demands of nationalism?

Answer 18

1. Ethnic Congruence: Ethnic groups should govern themselves.
2. Nation-State Ideal: A state should be ethnically homogeneous and aligned with a single national identity.

Question 19

Why is the nation-state ideal of nationalism often impractical?

Answer 19

The number of ethnic groups far exceeds the number of states, creating conflicts over self-determination and governance, often leading to ethnic or nationalist struggles.

Question 20

What type of political system is power-sharing type of ethnic power constellation common in?

Answer 20

Pluralistic or federal system where cooperation between ethnic groups is institutionalised

Question 21

what is political exclusion type of ethnic power constellation

Answer 21

• One group dominates the government, while other groups are excluded from power
• often labeled as “alien rule” or minority oppression

Question 22

What did Cederman and Vogt (2017) identify as core features of a civil war?

Answer 22

Armed combat within a sovereign state between the government and a non-state challenger, with the challenger claiming sovereignty over all or part of the state’s territory.

Question 23

What are “horizontal inequalities,” as described by Cederman et al. (2011)?

Answer 23

Inequalities between groups in political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions, which can fuel grievances leading to civil wars

Question 24

What are the main causes of civil wars, as explained by grievance-based and opportunity-based theories?

Answer 24

Grievance-Based: Political exclusion, inequality, and discrimination.
Opportunity-Based: Weak state capacity, availability of resources, and favorable geographic terrain.

Question 25

what is the Insurgency model?

Answer 25

focuses on the military feasibility of rebellion, rather than just ethnic or ideological motives. It emphasises the opportunity structures that make insurgencies feasible

Question 26

What is the significance of Mao Zedong’s quote about insurgencies?

Answer 26

The guerrilla must move amongst the people as a fish swims in the sea” highlights the importance of local support and blending into the population for insurgencies to survive.

Question 27

What factors did Fearon and Laitin (2003) emphasize in the insurgency model?

Answer 27

Weak state capacity, rough terrain, and political instability, which make rebellions militarily feasible.

Question 28

How does nationalism contribute to civil wars, according to Gellner (1983)?

Answer 28

Nationalism’s principle that “ethnic likes should rule over ethnic likes” often leads to conflicts when states fail to align governance with ethnic identity.

Question 29

What role do external actors play in modern civil wars?

Answer 29

External state and transnational group involvement can prolong conflicts, increase their scope, and complicate resolution, as seen in internationalised civil wars like Syria and Ukraine.