ISBN : 9780190056896
Many view civil wars as violent contests between armed combatants. But history shows that community groups, businesses, NGOs, local governments, and even armed groups can respond to war by engaging in civil action. Characterized by a reluctance to resort to violence and a willingness to show enough respect to engage with others, civil action can slow, delay, or prevent violent escalations. This volume explores how people in conflict environments engage in civil action, and the ways such action has affected violence dynamics in Syria, Peru, Kenya, Northern Ireland, Mexico, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Spain, and Colombia. These cases highlight the critical and often neglected role that civil action plays in conflicts around the world.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter One: Civil Action and the Dynamics of Violence in Conflicts (Deborah Avant, Marie Berry, Erica Chenoweth, Rachel Epstein, Cullen Hendrix, Oliver Kaplan, and Timothy Sisk)
Part 1: Civil Action and Maintaining Relationships
Chapter Two: Civil Action in the Syrian Conflict (Wendy Pearlman)
Chapter Three: Staging Peace: Community Organizations, Theatrical Performance, and Violent Conflict in Peru (Steven T. Zech)
Chapter Four: Northern Kenya: Civil and Uncivil Action Under Conditions of State Fragility (Fletcher D. Cox)
Part 2: Civil Action and Levels of Local Violence
Chapter Five: The Impact of Civil Action on Levels of Violence: Comparing Two Communities during Northern Ireland's Troubles (Amy Grubb)
Chapter Six: Doing Business amid Criminal Violence: Companies and Civil Action in Mexico (Sandra Ley and Magdalena Guzman)
Chapter Seven: Civil Action and the Micro-Dynamics of Violence during the Bosnian War (Marie E. Berry)
Chapter Eight: Non-violent Communal Strategies in Insurgencies Case Study on Afghanistan (Christoph Zurcher)
Part 3: Civil Action and the Resolution of Violent Conflict
Chapter Nine: Civil Action Against ETA Terrorism in Basque Country (Javier Argomaniz)
Chapter Ten: The Colombian Private Sector in Colombia's Transition to Peace (Angelika Rettberg)
Chapter 11: Conclusion