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Original Articles
The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend … The Dynamics of Self-Defense Forces in Irregular War: The Case of the Sons of Iraq
- DOI:
- 10.1080/1057610X.2014.952262
pages 920-935
- Received: 17 May 2014
- Accepted: 3 Jul 2014
- Accepted author version posted online: 15 Aug 2014
Abstract
This article assesses the effect that leveraging civilian defense force militias has on the dynamics of violence in civil war. We argue that the delegation of security and combat roles to local civilians shifts the primary targets of insurgent violence toward civilians, in an attempt to deter future defections, and re-establish control over the local population. This argument is assessed through an analysis of the Sunni Awakening and ancillary Sons of Iraq paramilitary program. The results suggest that at least in the Al-Anbar province of Iraq, the utilization of the civilian population in counterinsurgent roles had significant implications for the targets of insurgent violence.
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- Citation information:
- Received: 17 May 2014
- Accepted: 3 Jul 2014
- Accepted author version posted online: 15 Aug 2014
Author affiliations
- a School of Politics and International Relations, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK
- b School of Politics, International Studies, and Philosophy, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland
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