Things Fall Apart: The 'End Game' Dynamics of Internal Wars
Author
McCormick, Gordon H.
Horton, Steven B.
Harrison, Lauren A.
Date
2006Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Most internal wars end on the battlefield. In comparison to inter-state conflicts, a
relatively small percentage of these fights are concluded at the negotiating table. While
significant attention has been given to how and why internal wars begin and even how
they begin to evolve, little attention has been given to how they are concluded. What
research has been done on this subject has focused on the problems that stand in the way
of achieving a negotiated outcome, not how these conflicts are resolved by force. The
purpose of this article is to evaluate the dynamics of the end game struggle and the
differing ways in which states and insurgencies “win” and “lose” internal wars.
Description
This paper is scheduled to appear in Third World Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 2, 2007.