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External intelligence assistance and the recipient government’s violence against civilians

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  • Wakako Maekawa

Abstract

During a civil war, does external intelligence assistance reduce violence perpetrated by the recipient government against civilians? I contend that intelligence assistance reduces violence against civilians by facilitating identification problems and adopting a “winning-hearts-and-minds strategy,†which enhances the recipient government's legitimacy and intelligence potential. Enhanced intelligence capability solves the recipient government's identification problems. I examined this logic using a dataset on external support and one-sided violence between 1990 and 2008. The empirical findings show that external intelligence assistance reduces the recipient government's violence against civilians.

Suggested Citation

  • Wakako Maekawa, 2023. "External intelligence assistance and the recipient government’s violence against civilians," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 40(5), pages 511-532, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:compsc:v:40:y:2023:i:5:p:511-532
    DOI: 10.1177/07388942221129047
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    References listed on IDEAS

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