“The War Will Come To Your Street”: Explaining Geographic Variation In Terrorism By Rebel Groups

Keywords

Geography; inequality; insurgency; terrorism

Abstract

Geographic variation in rebels’ use of terrorism is not well understood. This article explains the use of terrorism in civil conflict through examining geographic variation in terrorist attacks across first–level administrative regions. Two explanations are tested using data on 47 groups in 21 countries: that terrorism is intended to punish supporters of counterinsurgency efforts or to destabilize regions of the country that are both outside of rebels’ military reach and have substantial grievances against the regime. Results show that terrorism is most prevalent in national capitals and regions that are more deprived. The findings suggest that rebel groups face multiple incentives for violence beyond zones of direct military confrontation with the government, using both highly visible attacks against the center of power and attacks intended to geographically expand the rebellion. The findings imply maximizing public service provision and minimizing economic inequality may reduce the breadth of rebels’ potential expansion.

Publication Date

5-4-2018

Publication Title

International Interactions

Volume

44

Issue

3

Number of Pages

411-436

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1080/03050629.2017.1367294

Socpus ID

85029601663 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85029601663

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