Civil Action and the Dynamics of Violence

Many view civil wars as violent contests between armed combatants. But history shows that community groups, businesses, NGOs, local governments, and even armed groups can respond to war by engaging in civil action. Characterized by a reluctance to resort to violence and a willingness to show enough respect to engage with others, civil action can slow, delay, or prevent violent escalations. This volume explores how people in conflict environments engage in civil action, and the ways such action has affected violence dynamics in Syria, Peru, Kenya, Northern Ireland, Mexico, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Spain, and Colombia. These cases highlight the critical and often neglected role that civil action plays in conflicts around the world.

Deborah Avant is the Sié Chéou-Kang Chair for International Security and Diplomacy. Professor Avant regularly advises governments, companies, NGOs, and others on the roles that many play in contemporary global governance and serves on numerous governing and editorial boards. Marie Berry is an Assistant Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, and the author of War, Women, and Power: From Violence to Mobilization in Rwanda and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Erica Chenoweth is Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and a Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. Her books include Civil Resistance: What everyone Needs to Know (forthcoming from Oxford University Press) and Why Civil Resistance Works (with Maria J. Stephan). Rachel A. Epstein is Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs. Her latest book is Banking on Markets: The Transformation of Bank-State Ties in Europe and Beyond (Oxford University Press). Cullen Hendrix is Director of the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy and Associate Professor at the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. He is the co-author with Marcus Noland of Confronting the Curse: The Economics and Geopolitics of Natural Resource Governance. Oliver Kaplan is an Associate Professor in International Relations and Human Rights at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. He is the author of Resisting War: How Communities Protect Themselves. Timothy Sisk is Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Prior to joining the University of Denver in 1998, Dr. Sisk was a Program Officer and Research Scholar in the Grant Program of the United States Institute of Peace in Washington.