A Bone to Pick: Grievance as a Motivator of Civil War Onset
Open Access
Author:
Gregory, Katherine Leigh
Area of Honors:
International Politics
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Douglas William Lemke, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Gretchen G Casper, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
grievance civil war Uganda Kenya
Abstract:
In statistical studies of civil war onset, variables such as ethno-linguistic fractionalization (ELF), GDP per capita, and polity scores, are often hypothesized to be important determinants of civil war. Yet, it is common for two different countries with similar scores across each of these statistical measures to have very different civil war onset histories. We can conclude as a result that these statistical measurements, although important to our understanding of civil war onset, do not fully explain why different states experience civil war. My goal in this thesis is to see what role, if any, grievance plays in determining civil war onset. Examinations of political terror indexes, chronological historical occurrences, and various rebel groups are examined as more nuanced means of addressing the question of what role ethnic, economic, and political grievances may play in civil war onset.
