@article{ref1,
title="Violence on the home front: interstate rivalry and pro-government militias",
journal="Terrorism and political violence",
year="2021",
author="Akins, Harrison",
volume="33",
number="3",
pages="466-488",
abstract="With an increased focus on the role of pro-government militias in understanding intra-state conflict, scholars have primarily argued that states use militias as a proxy of the government because of low capacity or as a means of avoiding responsibility for violence against civilians. However, states with both high capacity and a willingness to commit violence against civilians have also relied upon pro-government militias in counterinsurgency operations. This paper argues that states involved in enduring interstate rivalries are more likely to use pro-government militias in order to reserve conventional military forces for potential conflict with their rival. Based on a case study of India's Kashmir insurgency and logit analysis of pro-government militia data from 1981 to 2001, the findings provide empirical support for this theory and are robust to alternative measures and model specifications.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0954-6553",
doi="10.1080/09546553.2018.1548353",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09546553.2018.1548353"
}