Armed Non-State Actor Power Accrual Mechanisms in Times of Apolitical National Crisis

Author (Your Name)

Samantha J. Kane Jiménez, Colby CollegeFollow

Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Honors Thesis (Open Access)

Department

Colby College. Government Dept.

Advisor(s)

Laura Seay

Second Advisor

Guilain Denoeux

Abstract

This thesis seeks to ascertain the apolitical crisis conditions under which armed non-state actors (ANSAs) accrue power. Existing literature examines the structures that nurture ANSA power, including territorial control, group legitimacy, and access to resources. A monopoly on the use of force enables groups to sustain these structures. I explore whether ANSAs instrumentalize moments of apolitical national crisis to nurture these pillars of power and expect that groups will decrease their reliance on the use of force, instead utilizing catastrophes as opportunities to bolster legitimacy among local populations. Statistical, spatial, and qualitative analyses buttress this pursuit. In short, this research suggests that groups do try to accrue power in times of crisis, though not through service provision. Instead, they rely on force initially, and with an interaction effect between the temporal and spatial variation of their use of force – a curious finding that necessitates further investigation. As well, inter-group competition does not increase; groups instead seek to build alliances when threatened. Lastly, some groups rely on performativity sometimes – namely, politically motivated ANSAs use symbolic appeals. The duration and expansiveness of a disaster might also affect which groups make these appeals.

Keywords

natural disasters, economic crises, political violence, Ethiopia ONLF, Turkey PKK, Mexico Gulf Cartel

Recommended Citation

Kane Jiménez, Samantha J., "Armed Non-State Actor Power Accrual Mechanisms in Times of Apolitical National Crisis" (2020). Honors Theses. Paper 1291.
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/1291