Intra-State Conflict, Governments and Security

This edited book seeks to understand the central role of governments in intra-state conflicts. Governments must engage in a balancing act, using threats and even force to deter or repel rebels, while being restrained so that ordinary citizens do not view the army, the police and other arms of the state as threats. in recent years, the study of ethnic conflict and civil war has focused largely on what happens when a government collapses - end of communism, failed states in Africa, etc. - but governments themselves may actually be the source of violence. Thus, the focus of this book is on this balancing act that governments must perform and on the positive and negative roles that the international community can play in these conflicts.Thus far, no one has recently considered this dual role played by governments and the need for both capability and restraint. This book is original in that it considers both simultaneously; this is important, as any effort to create more capable governments has implications for the threat it poses to societies.This book will be of interest to students of ethnic conflict, civil wars, peacekeeping, security studies and IR in general.Saideman, Stephen M. is the author of 'Intra-State Conflict, Governments and Security' with ISBN 9780415460507 and ISBN 0415460506.