17.586
Warlords, Terrorists, and Militias: Theorizing on Violent Non-State Actors
Spring 2009
This course is a general overview of the recent political science literature on violent non-state actors. Its aim is to examine why non-state actors (such as warlords, terrorists, militias, etc.) resort to violence, what means and tactics they use, and what can be done to counter that violence. In that regard, the class will cover works pertaining to the production side of non-state violence (i.e. the objectives and organization of insurgents/terrorists/militias/warlords, their mobilization strategies and support base, how they coerce opponents, etc.); as well as the response that violence elicits from governments or other actors (i.e. counter-insurgency or counter-terrorism strategies, among others). Apart from introducing the basic variables and theoretical and empirical findings in the literature, this course will also grapple with questions of definition, operationalization of variables, and general methodology relevant to conducting research in this area of violent conflict. Though thematically-driven, this course will also reference cases from the contemporary battlefields of insurgency and terrorism (be it Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, the West Bank and Gaza, Colombia, etc.) as they relate to the pertinent themes.
Readings
- Kegley, Charles, Jr., and Eugene R. Wittkopf. “Nonstate Actors in the International System.” In World Politics: Trend and Transformation . 11th ed. Wadsworth Publishing, 2006, pp. 135-185. ISBN: 9780495187066.
- Wantchekon, Leonard. “The Paradox of “Warlord” Democracy: A Theoretical Investigation.” American Political Science Review 98, no. 1 (2004): 17-33.
- Skarpedas, S. “Warlord Competition.” Journal of Peace Research 39, no. 4 (2002): 435-46.
- Rich, Paul B., ed. “The Emergence and Significance of Warlordism in International Politics.” Chapter 1 in Warlords in International Relations . New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 1999. ISBN: 9780333775035.
- Chan, Stephen. “The Warlord and the Global Order.” Chapter 9 in Warlords in International Relations . Edited by Paul B. Rich. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 1999. ISBN: 9780333775035.
- Abrahms, Max. “Why Terrorism Does Not Work.” International Security 31, no. 2 (2006): 42-78.
- Hoffman, Bruce. Inside Terrorism . New York, NY: Colombia University Press, 1998, read chapters 1 and 2. ISBN: 9780231114684.
- Rapoport, David C. “Fear and Trembling: Terrorism in Three Religious Traditions.” American Political Science Review 78, no. 3 (1984): 658-677.
- Juergensmeyer, Mark. Terror in the Mind of God . Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000, pp. 3-15 and 119-243, read chapters 1 and 7-11. ISBN: 9780520223011.
- Sageman, Marc. “The Origins of Jihad,” and “The Evolution of Jihad.” Chapters 1-2 in Understanding Terror Networks . Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780812238082.
- Latin, David, and Eli Berman. “Rational Martyrs vs. Hard Targets: Evidence on the Tactical Use of Suicide Attacks.” In Suicide Bombing from an Interdisciplinary Perspective . Edited by Eva Meyersson Milgrom. To be submitted to Princeton University Press.
- Crenshaw, Martha. “Explaining Suicide Terrorism: A Review Essay.” Security Studies 16, no. 1 (2007): 133-162.
- Pape, Robert A. “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism.” American Political Science Review 97 (2003): 343-61.
- Ashworth, Scott, Joshua D. Clinton, Adam Meirowitz, and Kristopher W. Ramsay. “Design, Inference, and the Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism.” American Political Science Review 102, no. 2 (2008): 269-273.
- Pape, Robert A. “Methods and Findings in the Study of Suicide Terrorism.” American Political Science Review 102, no. 2 (2008): 275-277.
- Search for International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Institute. “A Video Will of A Suicide Bomber from al-Qaeda in Iraq and His Operation on an American Checkpoint in al- Fallujah.” July 21, 2005.
- Dolnik, Adam. “Die and Let Die: Exploring Links between Suicide Terrorism and Terrorist Use of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Weapons.” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 26, no. 1 (2003): 17-35.
- Sandler, Todd. “Collective Action and Transnational Terrorism.” The World Economy 26, no. 6 (2003): 779-802.
- Search for International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Institute. “Suggestion to Join Virtual Terrorist Cell, Rather than Operating Alone.” July 20, 2005.
- Sageman, Marc. “Mujahideen.” Chapter 3 in Understanding Terror Networks . Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780812238082. Also read pp. 137-174.
- Krebs, Valdis. “Mapping Networks of Terrorist Cells.” Connections 24, no. 3 (2002): 43-52.
- SES #: 8 · TOPICS: State-sponsored terrorism · READINGS: Byman, Daniel. Deadly Dynamics: States that Sponsor Terrorism . New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Read chapters 1-3 and 9. ISBN: 9780521839730.
- Klare, Michael T. “The Deadly Connection: Paramilitary Bands, Small Arms Diffusion and State Failure.” In When States Fail: Causes and Consequences . Edited by Robert Rotberg. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003, pp. 116-134. ISBN: 9780691116723.
- Levitt, Matthew A. “Hamas Social Welfare: In the Service of Terror.” In The Making of a Terrorist: Recruitment, Training and Root Causes. Vol. 1: Recruitment . Edited by James J. F. Forest. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005. ISBN: 9780275985448.
- SES #: 11 · TOPICS: Private military firms · READINGS: Singer, P. W. Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry . Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2007. Read chapters 2-6 and 15. ISBN: 9780801474361.
- Powell, Robert. “Defending Against Terrorist Attacks with Limited Resources.” American Political Science Review 101, no. 3 (2007): 527-541.
- Abrahms, Max. “What Terrorists Really Want: Terrorist Motives and Counterterrorism Strategy.” International Security 32, no. 4 (2008): 78-105.
- ———. “Why Democracies Make Superior Counterterrorists.” Security Studies 16, no. 2 (2007): 223-253.
- Crenshaw, Martha. “How Terrorism Declines.” Terrorism and Political Violence 3, no. 1 (1991): 69-87.
- Byman, Daniel. “Combating State Sponsors of Terrorism.” In Countering Terrorism and Insurgency in the 21st Century . Vol. 2. Edited by James J. F. Forest. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007. ISBN: 9780275990343.
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗Historical OpenCourseWare
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.