Citation

Burch M, Pizzi E. Terrorism Polit. Violence 2022; 34(6): 1162-1184.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/09546553.2020.1763963

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

What explains the specific location of Islamic State attacks in Syria and Iraq? We consider how both ethnic and economic factors shape the group's decision-making about where to attack. We explore these competing motivations using spatial analysis of the Islamic State's individual acts of violence from 2013-2017. We find that both areas with ethnic heterogeneity and valuable economic rents are associated with more individual Islamic State violent events. By examing the micro-foundations of the Islamic State's conflict decisions, we provide further nuance to understanding the strategic logic of rebel groups during wartime.

Language: en

Keywords

Civil war; ethnic diversity; resource curse