Abstract

Civilian victimization—the intentional and deliberate killing of noncombatants by political actors—is an issue of frequent concern during intrastate conflicts. Of particular importance is understanding how external support motivates or constrains combatants to target and kill civilians. This study uses regression analysis to understand the effect that external support has on the number of civilians killed by combatants during intrastate conflicts. First, I test how different kinds of external support affect the number of civilians killed annually by rebel groups. Second, I test how different kinds of external support affect the number of civilians killed annually by government forces. I find that external support to rebel groups, particularly foreign troops, and weaponry, is positively related to the number of civilians killed annually while foreign troops and weaponry has no significant effect on the number of civilians killed annually by government forces. External financing is negatively related to the number of civilians killed annually by both rebel groups and government forces. By examining the effect of external support on combatants, this study helps scholars and policymakers further understand how third parties to an intrastate conflict can play a role that induces or reduces the level of violence that is perpetrated against civilians.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2023

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Mirilovic, Nikola

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

School of Politics, Security and International Affairs

Degree Program

Political Science

Identifier

CFE0009783; DP0027891

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0027891

Language

English

Release Date

August 2024

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Campus-only Access)

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Restricted to the UCF community until August 2024; it will then be open access.

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