Rebel leaders and conflict processes: An individual level analysis

Civil conflict is a complex and ambiguous phenomenon that requires a multi-dimensional investigation. A concentration on rebel leaders in the study of conflict promises a good amount of potential for obtaining interesting findings. This dissertation examines rebel leader survival and rebel leaders’ influence on various conflict processes. It demonstrates that relative rebel strength, external support favoring the government, and oil production of the state have a significant impact on rebel leader tenure. To explain why we observe some considerable increases in the number of civilian killings in the course of conflict, the dissertation develops a theoretical model, putting the emphasis on rebel leader tenure and its potential in-group influences on the strategic decision of targeting civilians. Empirically, the analysis reveals a statistically significant relationship between civilian victimization and rebel leader tenure in Africa. The dissertation also contributes to the literature on state leaders, and interstate conflict more generally, by linking prior rebel leadership experience and militarized internationalized dispute initiation, showing that such experience is likely to increase the likelihood for state leaders to initiate armed conflicts. Introducing new data on rebel leaders in each substantive chapter, the dissertation offers a comprehensive, comparative and contextual treatment of rebel leaders and conflict.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D. in Political Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Political Science

Year dc:date.available

2015

Author dc:creator

• Yalciner, Serhan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Susan Allen
• Todd A. Smitherman
• Gregory Love

• Civil conflict
• Civil war
• Insurgency
• Leader survival
• Rebel leaders
• Rebels
• Political Science

Repository record dc:identifier

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/1514

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:egrove.olemiss.edu:etd-2513