The Reciprocal Relationship of Violence and Civilian Support in Civil War

My dissertation project aims at contributing towards a better understanding of the dynamics of violence against civilians in civil war. I develop a theoretical model of civilian-fighter interaction that accounts for the reciprocal effects of the violence used, and the level of support that civilians display towards the conflicting parties. I argue that violence in civil war is used to gain support and deter civilians from collaborating with the opponent. Varying strategies of warfare should therefore be r eflected in varying forms of violence. From this follows that violence should affect civilians' preferences in choosing which side to support in civil war. I order to fully address the reciprocity of this relationship, I include the to date under-theorize d role that non-lethal violence has on civilians decision-making processes. During my research stay at PRIO's Centre for the Study of Civil War (CSCW), I plan to devote the majority of my time towards analyzing the role that the geographical distribution of violence has in the interplay between violence and civilian support in civil wars. Since I will be making use of the soon to be released spatial data structure 'GRID' that is currently being developed at PRIO, I very much look forward to working with this team of researchers and developing my research skills in the field of geographical analysis in conflicts. Furthermore, I will take the opportunity of specifically examining the reaction and adaption process that civilians undergo after having endured violence in conflict situations. This topic is closely related to the CSCW's major ongoing research project on the manifestations of violence in conflict. In particular, their current research on wartime rape as a repertoire of violence commonly used in civil war will be instrumental to the development of my theoretical model.