Terrorism and Civil War

Abstract

Introduction Terrorism is an elusive concept. It is a violent strategy that can take place during wartime or peacetime. Terrorism is also thought of as a distinct form of violence with different causes than other forms of violence such as insurgencies or civil wars. In this chapter, I consider what linkages, if any, connect terrorism to civil war. If we consider terrorism as a strategy – a means to an end – then the links are obvious: civil wars create opportune environments for terror and terrorists. Indeed, as we shall see later, most terrorist events tend to take place in countries affected by civil war. I accept the identification of terror as a strategy, but I also consider whether near-exclusive use of this violent strategy constitutes a distinct form of violence, with separate causes than other forms. If so, then we can probe further to uncover differences and similarities between terrorism and civil war. A way to approach the linkages between terrorism and civil war is to consider the conditions under which terrorism will lead to civil war and vice versa and to compare situations where terrorism takes place outside of the context of civil war to cases where there is civil war with or without terrorism. I provide such a comparison to illuminate the linkages between domestic terrorism and civil war. Both international and domestic terrorism can grow out of civil war or lead to it, but such a conflict transformation is more likely when terrorism is domestic.

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