PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES

REBEL GOVERNANCE AT THE TIME OF COVID-19: EMERGENCIES AS OPPORTUNITIES FOR REBEL RULERS

3 September 2020

Studies in Conflict & Terrorism

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As Covid-19 has spread worldwide, not only governments but also rebel rulers have had to face the crisis. Therefore, it is important to understand whether exogenous shocks pose to rebel rulers the same challenges they pose to governments. To answer this question, I will refer to the academic literature and I will study two insurgent groups that have been confronted by coronavirus – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Taliban. Following the case studies, I will argue that while emergencies pose great challenges to governments, they provide rebel rulers with an opportunity to project themselves as more credible and legitimate rulers.

UNDERSTANDING GOVERNANCE BY INSURGENT NON-STATE ACTORS: A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL TYPOLOGY

24 June 2020

Civil Wars, Vol.22, No.4

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The phenomenon of governance by insurgents characterises many contexts of civil war and influences political, security, social, and economic dynamics in the original conflict zone and beyond. Therefore, understanding how different insurgents govern seems of crucial importance. However, in the existing literature no typology has been advanced that captures the multiple dimensions of rebel governance and allows to develop detailed and comparable assessments of the different patterns of rule implemented by different rebels. Considering this gap a limit to the study of insurgent governance, the present paper aims to propose a multi-dimensional typology for investigating how rebels govern.

ISRAELI-SAUDI RELATIONS IN A CHANGED AND CHANGING MIDDLE EAST: GROWING COOPERATION?

10 October 2019

Israeli Journal of Foreign Affairs, Vol.13, No.2

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In the years since the so-called Arab Spring, the geopolitical and geostrategic map of the Middle East has witnessed dramatic changes. Against the backdrop of these developments, many regional powers have reconsidered their traditional policies and relations in the region. An especially interesting case is that of Israel and Saudi Arabia: Since the Arab Spring, the coordination and cooperation between Jerusalem and Riyadh have both expanded and deepened. With this observation as our point of departure, we shall investigate how new shared interests and concerns have brought about opportunities for cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia. At the same time, we will investigate the extent to which Israel’s ongoing conflict with the Palestinians might continue to obstruct the emergence of fully normalized bilateral relations. In order to do so, we shall examine statements by Israeli and Saudi officials and non-official reports.