Thumbnail Image
Item

Things Fall Apart: Understanding the Role of Ethnicity in State-Violent Non-State Actor Relations

Hussein, Abdallah S
Abstract
This thesis examines why state-violent non-state actor (VNSA) relationships collapse, focusing on ethnic identity. Through case studies in Pakistan, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, it argues that ethnic dynamics are a key factor in the outcome of these relationships. Shared ethnicity, as with Pakistan’s Punjabi state and Lashkar-e-Taiba, sustains limited cooperation despite mistrust. Differing ethnicities—Pakistan’s Punjabis versus Pashtun Taliban, Sudan’s Shaygiyya, Ja’aliyyin, and Dangala versus Darfurian Arabs, or Kabila’s Katangans versus Rwanda’s Tutsis—fuel hostility when goals diverge. This thesis offers a new perspective on state-VNSA relations by aiming to understand the role of ethnicity. It urges policymakers to address ethnic divides as a means of preventing conflict.
Description
Date
2025-05-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Collections
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Show all metadata
Download Dataset
Files
Honors_Thesis___Abdallah_Hussein.docx
Microsoft Word XML, 185.62 KB
auto_convert.pdf
Adobe PDF, 576.71 KB
Rights Holder
Usage License
Embargo
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Citation
Advisor
Kaplow, Jeffrey
Mullen, Rani D.
Glasser, Jonathan
Department
International Relations
DOI
URI
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/handle/internal/11800
Embedded videos