| ID | 112854 |
| Title Proper | Nonstate actors, fragmentation, and conflict processes |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Pearlman, Wendy ; Cunningham, Kathleen Gallagher |
| Publication | 2012. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The most prominent form of violent conflict in the world today occurs within states
rather than between them. Since 1945, over 75 percent of militarized disputes have
been civil conflicts.
1
From the African continent to the Balkans, civil wars have
raged and self-determination movements have mobilized for collective violence.
Conflict over identity has emerged as a central problem for nations and the internal
community as nationalist groups battle the state and each other in places like Iraq
and Sudan.
The comparative decline of conventional interstate war casts a spotlight on the
myriad of conflicts involving nonstate actors, be they in conflict with each other
or with existing states. We define a nonstate actor as an organized political actor not
directly connected to the state but pursing aims that affect vital state interests. The
dominant approach to analysis of conflicts involving nonstate actors views them,
like interstate conflicts, as the outcome of bargaining between antagonists (Fearon
1995; for review, see Walter 2009). This bargaining framework entails identifying
key players-typically just two-and specifying their preferences, the limits of their
capabilities and resolve, and the information they have about each other.
2
Given
such information, analysts derive predictions about when their strategic interaction
will result in conflict, as well as the characteristics of that conflict. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Conflict Resolution Vol. 56, No.1; Feb 2012: p.3-15 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Conflict Resolution Vol. 56, No.1; Feb 2012: p.3-15 |
| Key Words | Nonstate Actors ; Fragmentation ; Conflict Processes ; Sudan ; Iraq |