Description:

The collapse of central state administrations typically leads to violent competition among multiple armed groups in a process of symmetrical irregular warfare. Most armed groups in this context either lack the capacity to administer non-combatant populations, or if they possess the capacity to do so, they lack the political will to administer. This research seeks to explain why some armed groups choose to administer non-combatant populations and through this process integrate state-building projects into their operations. This research is based upon ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Somalia and Iraq, archival evidence, and (limited) economic data.

Prof. Will Reno received an EDGS faculty research grant and his talk explores the research the funding supported.