Citation

Akins H. Terrorism Polit. Violence 2021; 33(3): 466-488.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/09546553.2018.1548353

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

With an increased focus on the role of pro-government militias in understanding intra-state conflict, scholars have primarily argued that states use militias as a proxy of the government because of low capacity or as a means of avoiding responsibility for violence against civilians. However, states with both high capacity and a willingness to commit violence against civilians have also relied upon pro-government militias in counterinsurgency operations. This paper argues that states involved in enduring interstate rivalries are more likely to use pro-government militias in order to reserve conventional military forces for potential conflict with their rival. Based on a case study of India's Kashmir insurgency and logit analysis of pro-government militia data from 1981 to 2001, the findings provide empirical support for this theory and are robust to alternative measures and model specifications.

Language: en

Keywords

counterinsurgency; India; interstate rivalry; intra-state conflict; Kashmir; Militias