Rebels against Rebels: Explaining Violence between Rebel Groups

Abstract Rebel groups that confront the government frequently become engaged in fierce and violent struggles with other groups. Why does a rebel group who is already fighting with the government become engaged in yet another struggle, thereby sacrificing scarce resources in the fight against other rebel groups? This article addresses this puzzle by providing the first global study on the determinants of interrebel violence. The authors argue that this violence should be understood as a means to secure material resources and political leverage that can help the group prevail in the conflict with the government. The quantitative analysis builds on new data on armed conflict between nonstate actors, 1989-2007. The results show that interrebel conflict is more likely when the rebel group fights in an area with drug cultivation, when the group is in control of territory beyond government reach, when the group is either militarily strong or weak in relation to other rebels, and where state authority is weak. Keywords civil war, interrebel violence, non-state conflict, rebel group Why do some civil conflicts see fierce and sustained fighting between groups on the nonstate side, whereas other conflicts do not? Armed conflicts between rebel organizations have been prevalent in, for example, the Myanmar, Afghan, Liberian, and Sudanese conflicts. These incidents are not idiosyncrasies

It Takes Two

Theories of conflict emphasize dyadic interaction, yet existing empirical studies of civil war focus largely on state attributes and pay little attention to nonstate antagonists. We recast civil war in a dyadic perspective, and consider how nonstate actor attributes and their relationship to the state influence conflict dynamics. We argue that strong rebels, who pose a military challenge to the government, are likely to lead to short wars and concessions. Conflicts where rebels seem weak can become prolonged if rebels can operate in the periphery so as to defy a government victory yet are not strong enough to extract concessions. Conflicts should be shorter when potential insurgents can rely on alternative political means to violence. We examine these hypotheses in a dyadic analysis of civil war duration and outcomes, using new data on nonstate actors and conflict attributes, finding support for many of our conjectures. </jats:p

Internally displaced, refugees and returnees from and in the Sudan : a review

The Sudan has been at war since independence intermitted only by a brief period of peace that lasted for a decade. The civil war that has been ravaging the country as well as the conflicts in the neighbouring countries have contributed to the difficult problem of population displacement in the region. Sweden has for many years contributed disaster relief to the Sudan. The Swedish humanitarian development assistance directed to meet the needs of the Sudanese people is currently at a stable 70 million SEK. It is very important to take into account the experiences gained on population displacement in order to prevent more disasters from taking place but also to improve the assistance given to the people who have already left their homes. With this aim, the Swedish Government has just adopted a new strategy for humanitarian assistance to Sudan, focusing on protection for the internally displaced, particularly women and children. State of the art reviews concerning refugees and the displaced in Mozambique and Somalia have previously been published by the Nordic Africa Institute and Sida within the series Studies on Emergencies and Disaster Relief. This report is another contribution within that series and it will hopefully serve as a source to some of the research on population displacement from and in the Sudan. The report comprises a review of the literature and includes comments on priorities for future research.CONTENTS -- CAUSES OF THE CRISIS -- DISPLACED AND REFUGEE MOVEMENTS -- LIVELIHOOD AND EXPERIENCE -- THE NATURE AND IMPACT OF ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMES -- RESETTLEMENT -- REPATRIATION -- INTEGRATION -- IMPACT ON THE HOSTING AREAS -- CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

Liberia - the eye of the storm : a review of the literature on internally displaced, refugees and returnees

One of the most prominent, and from a humanitarian and human rights perspective most troubling aspects of internal conflicts during recent years is the plight of the internally displaced persons, and refugees. Forced to leave their homes in search of refuge, internally displaced persons often find themselves with little protection, with unclear rights, and without safe livelihoods. While their most important support generally comes from the communities receiving them, which often have very few resources, international humanitarian organisations have not been able to agree on clear mandates with regard to who should have the overall responsibility for assisting them. Although the international community is better organised to care for those who have crossed borders and become refugees, it is still struggling to finetune and coordinate available aid instruments and to mobilize sufficient resources in order to facilitate their post-conflict return, resettlement and reintegration. As this literature review of internally displaced persons, refugees and returnees shows in relation to Liberia, there are ongoing conflicts where we lack sufficient understanding of migration patterns and the socio-economic conditions of the displaced, an understanding which is a prerequisite for designing appropriate preventive and mitigating action. This review also highlights the severe lack of protection of civilians in Liberia, children in particular, which leads to forced recruitments to local armed groups as well as exposure to sexual violence.CONTENTS -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. CAUSES OF THE DISPLACEMENT -- 3. DISPLACED AND REFUGEE MOVEMENTS -- 4. LIVELIHOODS AND EXPERIENCE -- 4. LIVELIHOODS AND EXPERIENCE -- 5. THE NATURE AND IMPACT OF ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMES -- 6. IMPACT ON HOSTING AREAS -- 7. RESETTLEMENT AND REPATRIATION -- 8. INTEGRATION AND REINTEGRATION -- 9. CONCLUDING REMARKS -- 10. BIBLIOGRAPH

Market Potential and Income Inequality

This study assumes that non-homothetic preferences determine the flow of international trade. Empirical studies of international trade have commonly only considered demand from a representative consumer. This would not provide a complete picture of the aggregate market demand. Because of the prevalence of non-homothetic preferences in demand, firms that contemplate exports should consider the distribution of income within a country as an attribute of the corresponding market. This study evaluates the effect that income inequality may exert on a firm’s probability of selecting a particular export market. The theoretical framework is supported by discrete choice theory, and the empirical analysis uses export statistics for the OECD countries. The results indicate that uneven income distribution is perceived as an attractive feature of destinations for exports.market potential; income inequality; discrete choice theory

Changing Export Structure According to Income Elasticity - Kaldor revisited

The competition for market shares has taken various routes over the years. The first factor that perhaps spring to mind is prices. Studies have also shown that advanced technology and superior quality of products are important in the competition for market shares. The purpose of this study is to explore whether changes in export and production structures in the OECD countries tend to incorporate the income sensitivity of demand for products and if a strategy of this kind is beneficial for the development of market shares. The theoretical framework is provided by Kaldor (1957, 1967 and 1970) and by the concept of non-homothetic preferences, first established by Engel (1857 and 1881). The results show that there has been an increased focus on high-income elastic products among the OECD countries. The strategy of concentrating export and production to the high income elastic products also seems to generate increases in market sharesexport structure; income elasticity of export demand; competitiveness; market shares; Nicholas Kaldor

Anchoring the Peace: Civil Society Actors in Peace Accords and Durable Peace

N/