Recruiting rebels; indoctrination and political education in Nepal

Abstract

In 1996 the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) launched a guerilla-based armed rebellion against the government of Nepal. Grounded in long-standing grievances regarding economic, social, and geographical marginalization, the CPN-M garnered widespread support throughout the rural areas of the country. The result was an exponential growth of the organization and a resultant escalation of armed violence. This paper explores how the CPN-M was able to attract and mobilize potential rebel and militia supporters. It argues that while structural variables like social and economic inequalities provided an important context in which the Maoists operated, the mechanism for the CPN-M’s successful recruitment strategy lay in its focus on indoctrination and political education.

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