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Resisting War: How Communities Protect Themselves

Resisting War: How Communities Protect Themselves
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Resisting War: How Communities Protect Themselves

Available for purchase for $34.99

In civil conflicts around the world, unarmed civilians take enormous risks to protect themselves and confront heavily armed combatants. This is not just counterintuitive – it is extraordinary. In this book, Oliver Kaplan explores cases from Colombia, with extensions to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and the Philippines, to show how and why civilians influence armed actors and limit violence. Based on fieldwork and statistical analysis, the book explains how local social organization and cohesion enable both covert and overt nonviolent strategies, including avoidance, cultures of peace, dispute resolution, deception, protest, and negotiation. These ‘autonomy’ strategies help civilians retain their agency and avoid becoming helpless victims by limiting the inroads of armed groups.

Dr. Oliver Kaplan, University of Denver

Published 2017
Cambridge University Press

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This resource is available in
1 other language(s)
This resource is also available in:
  • Spanish

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