The Rebel and the Politician: Developing a Typology of Insurgent Civil–Military Relations.
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| Title: | The Rebel and the Politician: Developing a Typology of Insurgent Civil–Military Relations. |
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| Authors: | Worsnop, Alec (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Armed Forces & Society (Sage Publications Inc.). Jul2025, Vol. 51 Issue 3, p757-793. 37p. |
| Subjects: | Afghan War, 2001-2021, Political integration, Professionalization, Insurgency, Civil war, Violence, Politicians |
| Abstract: | The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have brought returned focus to civil–military relations in complex, fluid, and "asymmetric" environments. The close integration of politics and violence has led to renewed calls for more careful civilian control and involvement in strategy-making and operational design. While scholars and practitioners have struggled with this pressing task, so have the insurgent organizations that the United States and others have been fighting against. And, in some ways, rebels have been more successful in harmonizing military and political efforts. Yet, there is little research into the form and implications of their civil–military balance. This article constructs a typology of rebel civil–military relations that maps the overlap of an intensive form of civilian control, political integration, and the degree of military professionalization. The typology is developed by categorizing a range of prominent organizations operative in contemporary and past civil wars and considering how these patterns might influence insurgents' pursuit of intricately intertwined political and military goals. This theory development exercise—intended for hypothesis generation to inform future avenues of research—has implications for how we understand insurgency and state-based civil–military relations in unstable environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Armed Forces & Society (Sage Publications Inc.) is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have brought returned focus to civil–military relations in complex, fluid, and "asymmetric" environments. The close integration of politics and violence has led to renewed calls for more careful civilian control and involvement in strategy-making and operational design. While scholars and practitioners have struggled with this pressing task, so have the insurgent organizations that the United States and others have been fighting against. And, in some ways, rebels have been more successful in harmonizing military and political efforts. Yet, there is little research into the form and implications of their civil–military balance. This article constructs a typology of rebel civil–military relations that maps the overlap of an intensive form of civilian control, political integration, and the degree of military professionalization. The typology is developed by categorizing a range of prominent organizations operative in contemporary and past civil wars and considering how these patterns might influence insurgents' pursuit of intricately intertwined political and military goals. This theory development exercise—intended for hypothesis generation to inform future avenues of research—has implications for how we understand insurgency and state-based civil–military relations in unstable environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 0095327X |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0095327X231193152 |
