Why Using One-Sided Violence in Civil Wars? A Theoretical Argumentation Attempt on Strategic Logic

Authors : Ayla AKDOĞAN

Pages : 207-240

View : 12 | Download : 11

Publication Date : 2018-06-20

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Most of the research on one-sided violence focused on factors that have an effect on the targeting of civilians, which were selected on account of the clarity of their definitions, characteristics that can be differentiated from the other factors, the ease with which they can be studied, as well as their recognizability. Some of the factors researched will be briefly discussed and the most important ones, which are central to this study, examined in detail.  One-sided violence against civilians is not a rare occurrence. Studies  have found that actors -most of which are state actors- adopt strategies  that target civilians or inflict civilian mass killings in one-fifth to onethird of wars (Arreguín-Toft, 2001, 2005; Valentino et al., 2004; Downes, 2006a, 2008). According to Downes (2008: 1), despite the fruitful  literature that has emerged in the last decade to explain the causes of civilian targeting (e.g., Kalyvas, 1999, 2004, 2006; Valentino, 2004;  Valentino et al., 2004; Valentino et al., 2006; Mann, 2005; Weinstein,  2007; Downes, 2006a, 2006b, 2008), the effectiveness of civilian victimization for achieving belligerents’ war objectives remains fairly  understudied. Much of this new literature on the causes of civilian victimization suggests that, at least in some circumstances, targeting civilians has a positive utility or that leaders often believe it does. 
Keywords : One Sided Violence, Civil War, Strategic Logic, Military Strength