Citation

Mundy J. Secur. Dialogue 2011; 42(3): 303-310.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0967010611407107

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

While Håvard Strand's rejoinder to 'Deconstructing civil wars' is a welcome invitation to dialogue, its criticisms are grounded in a fundamental misreading of my article. Here I will attempt to address the sources of confusion, which stem from poor execution on my part and some theoretical blinders on the part of the author of the rejoinder. This response will clarify my ethical and theoretical concerns with the way in which mass intra-territorial armed violence has been studied recently, and then reinforce my proposed warrant for a pragmatic (read: political) turn in the civil war/new war debate. This intervention will conclude by suggesting that the present debate highlights the need for a third estate in political studies, one that operates between political science and political theory: politiography.