1. Strategies of violence and restraint; 2. A new data set on violence against civilians in civil war; 3. Quantitative analysis of government and rebel group violence and restraint; 4. Government restraint in Indonesia; 5. Rebel group restraint in Aceh and East Timor; 6. Variation in government violence against civilians: Turkey and Sudan; 7. Variation in rebel group violence against civilians: Turkey, El Salvador, and Azerbaijan; 8. Extreme rebel group violence against civilians: the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda; 9. Conclusion.
Discusses strategic choices governments and rebel groups make to use violence against civilians or to exercise restraint in civil war.
Jessica Stanton is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, she held Fellowships at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, California, the John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University, Massachusetts, and the Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research has been published in The Journal of Politics and the Journal of Conflict Resolution.
'The international community often thinks there's little it can do
to stop governments and rebel groups from killing civilians in
civil wars. The powerful message of this well-researched book is
that they can do something. Stanton expertly argues and then shows
that one of the best ways to stop massacres and civilian abuses is
to invest in international human rights and laws. This is an
extremely important and timely study that should be required
reading for anyone interested in civil wars.' Barbara F. Walter,
University of California, San Diego
'Although extreme violence against civilians is common in civil
war, it is far from universal. In many civil wars, belligerents
display considerable (and surprising) restraint. Jessica A. Stanton
explains why: in the context of the post-Cold War world with its
emphasis on humanitarian standards and concomitant (if imperfect)
rewards and sanctions, belligerents face significant incentives to
limit their violence against civilians. When support from domestic,
but also international, constituencies matters, restraining
violence may make strategic sense.' Stathis Kalyvas, Director of
the Program on Order, Conflict and Violence, Yale University
'Stanton's study is the most compelling look at the full spectrum
of violence used by rebel groups in civil war available today.
Modes of violence - and restraint from violence - are strategies of
struggle. Among many other crucial points, she shows that
international legal norms and rules are among the factors
combatants consider when weighing the costs and benefits of using
or eschewing various forms of violence. A superb study - a major
contribution to our understanding of civil war violence.' Beth
Simmons, Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs,
Harvard University
'Using an impressive combination of quantitative analysis and case
studies, Stanton persuasively argues that violence against
civilians is more costly for belligerents that depend on domestic
or international constituencies for support. These actors are more
likely to observe restraint. When belligerents do target civilians,
however, the type of violence they use - geared towards control,
cleansing, or terrorism of the population - is a function of the
nature of their adversary's relationship with its domestic
constituency. This compelling work is an excellent contribution to
the literature on civil war violence and is a must-read for anyone
hoping to understand the dynamics of contemporary civil wars.'
Alexander B. Downes, The George Washington University, Washington,
DC
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