| ID | 140169 |
| Title Proper | Islamists and nationalists |
| Other Title Information | rebel motivation and counterinsurgency in Russia's north Caucasus |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Toft, Monica Duffy ; Zhukov, Yuri M |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article offers the first disaggregated, quantitative comparison of Islamist and nationalist violence, using new data from Russia's North Caucasus. We find that violence by Islamist groups is less sensitive to government coercion than violence by nationalist groups. Selective counterinsurgency tactics outperform indiscriminate force in suppressing attacks by nationalists, but not Islamists. We attribute this finding to rebels’ support structure. Because Islamist insurgents rely less on local support than nationalists, they are able to maintain operations even where it is relatively costly for the local population to support them. These findings have potentially significant implications for other contemporary conflicts in which governments face both types of challenges to their authority and existing political order. |
| `In' analytical Note | American Political Science Review Vol. 109, No.2; May 2015: p.222-238 |
| Journal Source | American Political Science Review 2015-06 109, 2 |
| Key Words | Violence ; Counterinsurgency ; Religion ; Rationality ; Nationalist Violence ; Islamist Violence ; Islam and Insurgency – North Caucasus |