“Battling” for Legitimacy: Analyzing Performative Contests in the Gaza Flotilla Paradigmatic Case
Journal: International Studies Quarterly
Year: 2019

Abstract How can we explain the dynamics of nonconventional struggles such as the Gaza flotilla case of May 2010? Most international relations scholars analyze international disputes using a “chess logic,” according to which the actors seek to outmaneuver their opponents on the battleground. However, an increasing number of clashes are guided by a “performance logic”: although the players interact with one another, their real targets are audiences. The present study aims to bridge this gap, prop