CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2018
| Author | Salman, Sana |
|---|---|
| Title | Security Assets or Security Liabilities: Theorizing Changes in External State Sponsorship of Rebel Groups |
| Summary | do states change their policy of sponsorship towards rebel groups? Most research on external state sponsorship of rebel groups either implicitly assumes that state sponsorship remains unchanged over time or focuses only on changes in levels of support alone. This thesis examines state sponsor policy towards rebel groups by including both intensity of support and control measures designed to minimize agency loss. It argues that shifts in state sponsor perceptions of the rebel as either a security asset or a security liability leads to changes in its sponsorship policy. It hypothesizes that states perceiving groups as assets will follow a policy of support with minimal controls while those perceiving rebel groups as liabilities will follow a policy of punishment. In between the two extremes, states can have mixed perceptions and policies that combine conciliatory measures with limited sanctioning. By using longitudinal analysis, this thesis tests the perception-theory of external sponsorship using Jordanian and Syrian sponsorships of the Palestinian fedayeen groups as case studies. The empirical investigation shows that Jordan followed the hypothesized trajectory of sponsorship changes while Syria mostly followed mixed and punish policies. The thesis concludes by suggesting that a sponsor state’s proximity to an insurgency may make it more unpredictable and calls for policymakers to devote greater attention to sponsor state rhetoric and actions. |
| Supervisor | Jenne, Erin K. |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2018/salman_sana.pdf |
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