Gambling with Violence: State Outsourcing of War in Pakistan and India

by Yelena Biberman

Overview

In Gambling with Violence, Yelena Biberman tackles a global problem that is particularly consequential for Pakistan and India: state outsourcing of violence to ordinary civilians, criminals, and ex-insurgents. Why would these countries gamble with their own national security by outsourcing violence - arming nonstate actors inside their own borders? Drawing on over 200 interviews, archival research, and fieldwork conducted across Asia, Europe, and North America, Biberman introduces the "balance-of-interests" thesis to deepen our understanding of state-nonstate alliances in civil war. This framework centers on the distribution of power during war and shows how various combinations of interests result in distinct types of coalitions. Incorporating case studies of civil war and counterinsurgency, her book sheds light on how militias, alliances, and South Asian security connect today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190929978
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/02/2019
Series:	Modern South Asia
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Yelena Biberman is an assistant professor of political science at Skidmore College and Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center. She specializes in the study of political violence, South Asian politics, and unconventional warfare.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
CHAPTER 1: Introduction
CHAPTER 2: State-Nonstate Alliances in Civil War: A New Balance-of-Interests Theory
CHAPTER 3: Saving the House of Islam: Pakistan's "Volunteers" in the War of 1971
CHAPTER 4 "Guns Plus Interest:" Renegades and Villagers in India's Kashmir War
CHAPTER 5: Tribal "Awakenings" in Pakistan and India
CHAPTER 6: All the State's Proxies in Turkey and Russia
CHAPTER 7: Conclusion
Notes
Index

Editorial Reviews

"In her book Gambling with Violence: State Outsourcing of War in Pakistan and India, Yelena Biberman offers a concise theory for understanding state-nonstate alliance behavior during civil wars... The admirable breadth and depth of qualitative research across three countries of the South Asian subcontinent make the book an important contribution to understanding the geopolitics of internal conflict in South Asia." — Shubha Kamala Prasad, H-Diplo

"...excellent book...This is a useful addition to the literature on civil wars and the conflict over Kashmir." — M.E. Carranza, Texas A&M University — Kingsville, CHOICE

"We know that outsourcing violence is a hard decision for states, and yet we do not fully understand the how, why and, equally importantly, between whom. Biberman's excellent study combines a balance of interest framework with in-depth accounts to significantly improve our understanding."-Stathis N. Kalyvas, Gladstone Professor of Government, University of Oxford

"This is a fascinating, carefully-researched, and theoretically supple study of the conditions under which states forge alliances with nonstate actors in civil wars. The book will be of considerable interest to scholars of South Asia, counterinsurgency, and civil wars."-Sumit Ganguly, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Rabindranath Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations, Indiana University - Bloomington

"Yelena Biberman offers an important new argument about the sources of alliances between governments and non-state armed groups. Combining a novel typology, clear theoretical argument, and detailed comparisons in South Asia and beyond, this work makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of state-armed group relations in the contemporary world."-Paul Staniland, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago

From the Publisher