Scale Invariance with Specific Application to IED Violence in Iraq 2003-2007
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Authors
Amara, Jomana
McNab, Robert
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2008
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Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
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Abstract
In this paper we explore whether violence in Iraq is gravitating towards a steady state level of violence observed in other civil wars, such as those in Colombia, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, among others. Using data from the Iraq Body Count for 2003-2007, we explore whether civilian casualties follow a power law distribution. We can replicate previous analyses of civilian casualties and confirm that casualties adhered to a power law distribution for 2003-2005. When we include data for 2006 and 2007, we find, however, that the civilian casualties no longer followed a power law distrubition. We argue that violence against civilians in Iraq remains chaotic.
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Working Paper
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DRMI Working Paper Series
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This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.