Zachariah Mampilly

Rebel governance in civil war

This is the first book to examine and compare how rebels govern civilians during civil wars in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Drawing from a variety of disciplinary traditions, including political science, sociology, and anthropology, the book provides in-depth case studies of specific conflicts as well as comparative studies of multiple conflicts. Among other themes, the book examines why and how some rebels establish both structures and practices of rule; the role of ideology, cultural, and material factors affecting rebel governance strategies; the impact of governance on the rebel–civilian relationship; civilian responses to rebel rule; the comparison between modes of state and non-state governance to rebel attempts to establish political order; the political economy of rebel governance; and the decline and demise of rebel governance attempts.

A Marriage of Inconvenience: Tsunami Aid and the Unraveling of the LTTE and the GoSL's Complex Dependency

Scholars have shown how transnational forces can influence the behavior of belligerents in a civil war, dramatically altering the trajectory of the conflict. The breakdown of the peace process in Sri Lanka, less than a year after the Asian tsunami, has led many to question the relationship between the disaster and the return to war. In this paper, I explore the complex relationship between Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) governance structures and the international community, arguing that post-tsunami relief efforts closed the door to a negotiated settlement by contributing to the insurgencys failed play for autonomy from the Sri Lankan state upon which it had long been reliant for assistance in governing the civilian population in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. Through a detailed case study of the micro-level impacts of a massive spike in foreign aid on the organization of a long-running insurgency, the paper is able to assess the merit of the ‘substitution effect’ posited by scholars that argues that foreign aid can allow rebels to ignore civilian concerns in favor of a purely military focus. While generally supportive of this argument, the paper complicates the picture, demonstrating the importance of understanding local contexts for the international relief apparatus that continues to serve as the primary response to disasters, both natural and man-made.

Performing the Nation-State: Rebel Governance and Symbolic Processes

Rebel groups frequently deploy resources as symbolic expressions of power. What purposes do they serve, particularly in regards to the civilian–rebel relationship? Contrary to analyses that treat such actions as merely rhetorical, I argue that symbolic processes can serve both instrumental and normative purposes for an insurgent government. Specifically, symbolic processes reduce the need for a rebellion to use force to ensure compliance. In addition, they may increase civilian identification with the rebel government, producing several distinct benefits. This chapter illustrates these arguments, drawing on cases from around the world. Insurrection is an art, and like all arts has its own laws.