Networks of Rebellion: Explaining Insurgent Cohesion and Collapse (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs)
"Rebel groups vary considerably, yet systematically, both vis-à-vis each other and over time. As a simple observation this may sound trivial until one realizes that it tends to be overlooked both in academic research and policy analysis. In contrast, Staniland tells us exactly how these groups vary, by exploring the organizational dimension of rebel groups in a way that seamlessly integrates prewar social structure and wartime dynamics, theory and empirics, abstract intuition and historical texture. Extremely insightful and an exemplar of clarity, this book is likely to spur a new research program in the study of civil wars."—Stathis Kalyvas, Arnold Wolfers Professor of Political Science and Director, Program on Order, Conflict and Violence, Yale University"Networks of Rebellionis a major work. Paul Staniland's use of the South Asian cases is especially significant, because despite a host of case studies few serious attempts have been made to integrate these cases into the wider stream of literature on counterinsurgency. Staniland advances an original interpretation and enhances our understanding of the prospects and fortunes of insurgent organizations."—Sumit Ganguly, Rabindranath Tagore Professor of Indian Cultures and Civilizations, Indiana University, author ofConflict Unending: India-Pakistan Tensions since 1947"Can one understand the effectiveness of insurgent organizations without analyzing the social ties in which they are embedded? This question lies at the heart of this book. Drawing primarily on new research materials from Kashmir, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, Paul Staniland builds an account that is thought-provoking, closely reasoned, and truly enlightening."—Ashutosh Varshney, Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences and Professor of Political Science, Brown University