scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
JournalISSN: 1369-8249

Civil Wars 

Taylor & Francis
About: Civil Wars is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Politics & Spanish Civil War. It has an ISSN identifier of 1369-8249. Over the lifetime, 628 publications have been published receiving 8249 citations.


Papers
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a critical alternative to two key aspects of conventional wisdom in international policy: the prevailing notion of internal or intra-state war as bounded by traditional views of the nation-state, and the development model of conflict which regards so-called internal war as originating from poverty, scarcity or weak institutions.
Abstract: This paper provides a critical alternative to two key aspects of conventional wisdom in international policy. First, the prevailing notion of internal or intra‐state war as bounded by traditional views of the nation‐state. Second, the development model of conflict which regards so‐called internal war as originating from poverty, scarcity or weak institutions. In distinction, the idea of post‐modern conflict addresses the emergence of political projects in the South, including qualified state forms, which no longer need to establish territorial, bureaucratic or consent‐based political authority. Moreover, rather than scarcity or breakdown, despite the high social costs involved, protracted instability can be associated with innovative and expanding forms of political economy. Using material from Africa and the European East, the paper examines some of the relations and structures involved. Warlords, for example, have forged new and viable links with international organisations and global markets. At the sa...

227 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show the results of an empirical study on the relationship between violent livestock raiding and climatic conditions and conclude that livestock raiding is more violent during wet seasons, when pasture and water are abundant and when the livestock is in good health.
Abstract: In the face of the current focus on climate change, the question whether climate variations have effects on ethnic violence is addressed. This article shows the results of an empirical study on the relationship between violent livestock raiding and climatic conditions. The practice of livestock raiding causes large numbers of casualties in northern Kenya. While conflicts over scarce resources may be largely explained by drought conditions, population pressure, and access problems, livestock raiding is more violent during wet seasons, when pasture and water are abundant and when the livestock is in good health. The higher incidence of violent deaths during wet times hints at opportunistic behaviour of raiders.

151 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is commonly believed in the literature on insurgency and counterinsurgency that to be effective in undermining civilian support for guerrillas, violence against non-combatants must be selective o...
Abstract: It is commonly believed in the literature on insurgency and counterinsurgency that to be effective in undermining civilian support for guerrillas, violence against noncombatants must be selective o...

143 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examines women's involvement as combatants in the Sri Lankaan Tamil guerrilla organisation the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). But they focus on women's motivations for choosing to join the LTTE, and examine the debate over the group's brand of nationalist feminism before looking at how women's experiences in the movement have affected their views on gender in society.
Abstract: This article examines women's involvement as combatants in the Sri Lankan Tamil guerrilla organisation the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). It addresses women's motivations for choosing to join the organisation, then examines the debate over the LTTE's brand of nationalist feminism before looking at how women's experiences in the movement have affected their views on gender in society. The article hopes to shed some light on the feminist debate about these women, and through this on the broader global feminist debate about women's roles in nationalism and war. The article argues for an analysis of women's involvement in the movement that accords the women agency and is open to certain positive results stemming from their participation, yet recognises the problematic nature of nationalist feminism.

110 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the short-term effects of peace operations on the intensity of violence against the civilian population in internal conflicts and propose three mechanisms through which the presence of a third party may increase the parties' incentives to target civilians.
Abstract: Are peace operations effective in managing violence against civilians in civil wars? I examine the short-term effects of peace operations on the intensity of violence against the civilian population in internal conflicts. Missions are often sent to ongoing conflicts, where the warring parties have not yet managed to settle their dispute through the use of military means. I propose three mechanisms through which the presence of a third party may increase the parties' incentives to target civilians. A quantitative assessment of all intrastate armed conflicts, 1989–2006, shows that while the presence of a peace operation does not have a clear effect on government violence, it is associated with higher levels of violence by rebel groups. Only UN peace operations with an explicit mandate to protect civilians significantly reduce violence against civilians by rebels.

95 citations

Performance
Metrics
No. of papers from the Journal in previous years
YearPapers
202323
202225
202126
202025
201929
201831