How Insurgency Begins

Rebel Group Formation in Uganda and Beyond

Janet I. Lewis

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781108479660
• eBook ISBN: 9781108847650
• Topic: Politique et relations internationales
• Subtopic: Politique

How and why do rebel groups initially form? Prevailing scholarship has attributed the emergence of armed rebellion to the explosion of pre-mobilized political or ethnic hostilities. However, this book finds both uncertainty and secrecy shrouding the start of insurgency in weak states. Examining why only some incipient armed rebellions succeed in becoming viable challengers to governments, How Insurgency Begins shows that rumors circulating in places where rebel groups form can influence civilians' perceptions of both rebels and the state. By revealing the connections between villagers' trusted network structures and local ethnic demography, Janet I. Lewis shows how ethnic networks facilitate the spread of pro-rebel rumors. This in-depth analysis of conflicts in Uganda and neighbouring states speaks to scholars and policymakers seeking to understand the motives and actions of those initiating armed rebellion, those witnessing the process in their community, and those trying to stop it.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Series page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Acknowledgments
• Part I Rethinking How Armed Conflicts Begin
• Part II Uganda and Beyond
• Part III Implications
• Appendix A Identifying Ugandan Rebel Groups
• Appendix B List of Interviews and Focus Groups
• Appendix C Supplementary Statistical Analyses
• Appendix D Dataset on Rebel Group Formation in Central and Eastern Africa
• References
• Index