A Model of Political Violence
Abstract
Insurgencies continue to proliferate around the globe. While U.S. political and military leaders are eager to put counterinsurgency operations in the rear-view mirror, insurgency warfare is prolific. From the Philippines to Mexico, from Mali to China, from Chechnya to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, insurgency is the dominant strategic challenge of the early 21st century. The existing academic literature on insurgency is useful but insufficient. While each of the leading theories has value, no individual theory is fully explanatory of insurgency warfare. While some theories successful argue the factors that cause rebellion, they fail to explain why some groups do not rebel. This study proposes a model to explain the intrastate political violence of insurgency. While primarily focused upon insurgency, the model can be used for all types of political violence. This study presents a model that uses a holistic approach to the study of violence, synthesizing the concepts of deprivation, rational choice, and social movement theory. The model is a decision making model. It treats insurgency as an ongoing decision making process. The model can be used to explain the decision to start, continue, or end an insurgency. Finally, the model can also be used to analyze leadership of organizations whose primary function involves the use of force to achieve political objectives.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1013409
Entities
People
- Michael W. Fowler
Organizations
- United States Air Force Academy