Recruitment and Civil War Flashcards
(19 cards)
Civil war definition
- Occur within a country’s borders
- Claim at least 1000 lives within one year (arbitrary poli sci definition)
Civil wars are usually driven by these divisions: ethnicity, race, religion, class, region
The “Greed vs. Grievance” Debate
- Early literature on civil wars emphasized grievance as a rebel motivation
- Grievance: rebels motivated by grievances against a government they viewed as oppressive
- This was especially true in cases where governments discriminated against some citizens by race, religion, or ethnicity
- After the Cold War, scholars increasingly understood rebels to be motivated by greed, i.e., opportunities to profit
Jocelyn S. Viterna
Women’s mobilization in the Salvador Guerilla army (2006)
- In depth interview with 82 Salvadorian women
- Challenges the conventional approach of understanding mobilization (claims activist heterogenous)
- 3 key patterns: politicized guerillas (pulled in), reluctant guerillas (pushed into), recruited guerillas (willingly joined)
- Supports ‘Godwin’s model of state repression’ (anti-state dissent = recruitment)
- Apartheid as example, MK “regime did all the recruiting for us”
Greed and Civil War
- Looting is easier than getting a job, especially when employment prospects are scarce (Some natural resources are especially “lootable”: alluvial diamonds, timber, cocaine)
- Some scholars dubbed this the “Kalashnikov lifestyle” – using access to weaponry as a means to survive through robbery
- Greed matters especially when government and rebels compete for control of natural resources
Why is Columbian case interesting
Includes many key features of civil wars:
* Guerrilla warfare
* Natural resources
* Paramilitary groups
* Violence targeting civilians
* Peace negotiations
Colombia’s “La Violencia”
1948: The assassination of left-wing Bogota Mayor Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, leads to the ‘Bogotazo’, massive urban riots and a period of civil strife known as ‘La Violencia’ that lasts until 1957
250,000-300,000 are killed
Mark Orkin
- motivations behind joining Umkonto we sizwe (MK) [under leadership of ANC]
- Compares accounts of 3 men
- ‘social-action perspective’ informed by weberian sociology which identifies 2 ideal typical scales: degree to which their decision was a result of systemic political conciousness vs reaction to a violent state + extent to which their political commitment was non-racial vs racially focused
- Ebrahim: motivated by belief that armed conflict the only solution = ‘incompatible visions’
- Maseko: radicalized by violent state repression = ‘relative deprivation’
- Nkabinde: influenced by experiences of racial discrimination = ‘social injustice’
- Finally applies ‘Von Wright’s practical syllogisim’ to aruge the men’s actions were logical consequences to the regime
Gender and Colombia’s FARC rebels
FARC rebels claimed to fight on behalf of rural poor
Women had prominence within FARC ranks
FARC expanded its pro-poor platform to advocate for rights of women, indigenous groups, and LGBTQ people
By 2000, 30-40% of FARC combatants were women
Similar dynamic with smaller ELN rebel group, defunct M-19
Government-sponsored paramilitaries
- Well-trained Colombian Army troops could defeat rebels in battles but couldn’t occupy and hold territory
- Paramilitaries, composed of local men
organized into right-wing armed units to fight guerrillas and punish civilians for supporting them, operated permanently in one area
Why Use Paramilitaries? (Arjona and Kalyvas)
- Army could outsource a key aspect of its war against the rebels afforded the Colombian government plausible deniability for massacres of civilians
- “While a few were genuinely self-defense groups formed by peasants, most were formed by powerful land-owners and emerald-traders”
The US role
- Gen. Yarborough was one of the earliest US proponents of using paramilitary and/or terrorist activities against known communists
2000: US implements Plan Colombia, an economic and military strategy to combat drug gangs and leftist rebels - Critics call it a US plan to increase its military presence and corporate interests
- There are still approx. 1000 US Marines based in Colombia
Jeff Haynes
- esp in countries of the developing world, widespread involvment of religion + politics
- religion + democracy not always compatible (eg: did not work out well in Egypt with the Muslim Brotherhood)
Motivation to joining Colombian guerrilla and paramilitary groups (Arjona and Kalyvas)
- Arjona and Kalyvas interviewed about 400 ex-guerrillas from different movements and units throughout Colombia
- Most joined under age 25
In all groups, some said they joined for a “better life and some thought they were fighting for a just cause” (P.154) - This suggests that greed and grievance are not mutually exclusive
2 theories of human decision-making
- Contingent Choice: People make decisions as situations evolve, based on specific circumstances or conditions that may have been unknown or unforeseen at the time of decision-making
- Rational Choice: People are risk-averse utility-maximizers who make decisions based on a logical assessment of costs and benefits to achieve a desired outcome
Why join rebels or paramilitary groups? (Arjona and Kalyvas)
- 1/3 of interviewees thought joining was a small commitment and they would go home soon
- This suggests that joining is a contingent choice made with poor information, not via a “rational actor” cost-benefit analysis
- Looking for a single motivation for recruitment ”is a theoretical dead-end”
Armed conflict and recruitment (Arjona and Kalyvas)
- The absence of state control over certain areas facilitates rebel recruitment
- Where armed groups’ presence is entrenched, this becomes a driver of local individuals joining these groups
Many people who join these rebel groups come from areas, communities, and families that have been victimized by the war - “Threats, killings, and displacements are common among the families and social networks of the ex-combatants at the time when they joined an armed group”
2016 Colombian Peace Deal
2016: After 57 years of fighting and an estimated 220,000 dead, the Colombian government and the FARC reached a peace deal
initially put to a referendum, but failed to pass; afterward, the Colombian government revised the deal and passed it through Congress
ended hostilities, ensured amnesty or lower sentences for rebels accused of crimes, and guarantees the FARC 10 congressional seats
Post-Transition Violence in Colombia
But post-accord violence has continued, killing dozens of FARC members
The FARC has accused the government of failing to protect them
Over 1000 armed rebels have joined various dissident groups
Violence from the ELN has continued
Paramilitary violence has persisted in resource-rich areas
Violence and Insecurity (Moser)
Violence in developing countries exists along a continuum
It includes:
Political violence between state and non-state actors (guerrilla warfare, targeted assassinations, civil war)
Institutional violence by the state, informal institutions, and the private sector (extrajudicial killings, vigilante violence)
