Why do Civilians Comply with a Rebel Group? Towards a Better Understanding of Rebel Governance and Legitimation Processes During Civil War.

Why would civilians comply with a rebel group? When rebel groups are able to hold military control over a geographical territory, they have to decide on how to interact with the civilian population in that territory. The rebels can become predatory, they can try to recruit civilians, ignore them, or govern them. This study focuses on instances in which rebels govern, ranging from minimal regulation and informal taxation, to the creation of popular assemblies, civilian bureaucracies, schools, courts, and health clinics. Three cases in South Asia will be studied from a historical comparative perspective: the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka; the Maoist insurgency in Nepal; and the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. Tracing the three historical trajectories of rebel governance in these regions will allow me to reconstruct how rebel governance emerged and transformed. The project adds an important new theoretical element to the existing literature on rebel governance in contemporary history: power depends not only on instruments of coercion, but also on legitimacy in the minds of the ruled. Next to governance, legitimation will serve as a heuristic device to better understand compliance. The data collection combines document research and oral histories. The research will be carried out in cooperation with international partner organizations in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal and the United States. The study carries policy and social relevance for governments and international organizations for which the existence of rebel groups and ways of (not) engaging them remains a clear dilemma.