
NSF Org: |
SES Division of Social and Economic Sciences |
Recipient: |
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Initial Amendment Date: | February 6, 2013 |
Latest Amendment Date: | August 15, 2013 |
Award Number: | 1260218 |
Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
Program Manager: |
scott barclay
SES Division of Social and Economic Sciences SBE Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences |
Start Date: | February 1, 2013 |
End Date: | January 31, 2017 (Estimated) |
Total Intended Award Amount: | $74,998.00 |
Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $83,998.00 |
Funds Obligated to Date: |
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History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
400 HARVEY MITCHELL PKY S STE 300 COLLEGE STATION TX US 77845-4375 (979)862-6777 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
4348 TAMU College Station TX US 77843-4348 |
Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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Parent UEI: |
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NSF Program(s): | LSS-Law And Social Sciences |
Primary Program Source: |
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Program Reference Code(s): |
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Program Element Code(s): |
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Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.075 |
ABSTRACT
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army in Sudan has stopped using child soldiers while the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda continued the practice. Why do some rebel groups in civil wars follow the laws of war while others do not? This question is puzzling because rebel groups are not usually creators of international law. Also, in many cases, their rights and obligations under international law are not clear. Given this legal and political environment and with often-dominating military-strategic imperatives, under what conditions would rebel groups follow the laws of war?
To solve the puzzle, this project proposes to study why rebel groups in civil conflicts abide by international law. Grounded on the theories of compliance and political legitimacy, the researcher hypothesizes that rebel groups abide by laws of war when they have political aims to be recognized as a viable political entity. To test the hypothesis, the researcher will statistically analyze the behaviors of armed opposition groups in civil wars between 1991 and 2010 to examine three compliance behaviors of rebel groups: (1) the use of child soldiers, (2) the killing of civilians, and (3) the treatment of detainees.
The project is important for two reasons. From a scholarly point of view, the project solves a theoretical puzzle as to why rebel groups would follow international rules that they did not initially create. The question has not been fully answered in the existing literature because scholars of international relations have thus far focused on the behavior of nation-states. From a practical point of view, the project has broad impacts for human security. As some seventeen million people have died in civil conflicts over the past half-century, the answer to the proposed research question will advance our understanding about when and how to engage rebel groups and encourage them to comply with international law.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Outcome and Finding: The key outcome of the project "Rebel Groups and International Law (SES #1260218)" is publication of a book -- Compliant Rebels: Rebel Groups and International Law in World Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2015). The book finds that legitimacy-seeking rebel groups in civil conflicts (those with political wings, those with state sponsors based on human rights conscious consituencies, and those with secessionist aims) are likely to comply with international humanitarian law -- refraining from civilian killing, using a fewer numbe of child soldiers, and admitting international observers to their detention centers. The project also generated policy suggestions for dealing with rebel groups to attain humanitarian goals in conflict zones around the world. Additionally, the project produced associated journal articles (International Organization, Middle East Topics and Arguments) and book chapters.
Intellectual Merit: The project generated the new data as well as the Rebel Groups and International Law database. The data connect rebel groups' organizational/political/economic characteristics to their behaviors regarding civilian treatment, management of detention centers, and use of child soldiers. The data will be used to advance the knowledge on the topic and will be used by future researchers.
Broader Impact: The project has generated scholarly impact, interdisciplinary impact, and policy impact. The book won the Chadwick Alger Book Award, the best book in the field of international organization selected by the International Studies Association. The project also generated interests in the field of international law and the author was asked to write related book chapters and journal articles. The policy impact was felt when the author presented her work at the USAID and when the project material was used to train humanitarian workers in Syria and Turkey. The project has broader impact on benefiting the society by suggesting informed international humanitarian policies.
Last Modified: 02/01/2017
Modified by: Hyeran Jo
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