A Typology of Rebel Commitments & Compliance to International Humanitarian Law Public

Abstract

Non-state actors in civil conflicts demonstrate varying levels of commitment and compliance to international humanitarian law (IHL). What explains this variation in rebel group behavior? This study investigates the conditions under which groups abide or fail to abide by the principles of IHL. I develop a typology of rebel group commitment and compliance behavior, categorizing non-state actors into four groups based on their incentives and group-level and conflict-level variables. I conduct a plausibility probe of nine prominent groups in the Syrian Civil War and utilize process tracing to determine which factors contribute to the likelihood that groups comply or fail to comply to IHL. In the Syrian Civil War, groups who are religiously motivated and/or have global territorial aspirations are more likely to violate the principles of IHL. The centralization of group leadership and the recruitment strategies groups utilize impact their ability to ensure militants abide by the law of armed conflict (LOAC). By discovering the conditions under which groups are likely to abide by IHL, state sponsors and international actors can better distribute resources to ensure aid is directed towards groups who uphold IHL values. By better understanding the factors that influence a group’s likelihood of IHL compliance, international humanitarian lawmakers can develop laws that directly apply to non-state actors, create incentives for compliance, and include accountability mechanisms, minimizing the harmful impact civil wars have on civilians.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction.……………………………………………………………………………………….……....1

International Humanitarian Law……………………………………………………………………….. 5

Theory……………………………………………………………………………………………………...9

  Typology of Compliance …………………………………………………………………………………9

  Legitimacy Seekers ………………………………………………………………………………………11

  Resource Seekers ………………………………………………………………………………………...13

  Local Support Seekers …………………………………………………………………………………...16

 Revisionists...……………………………………………………………………………………………...17

Methods and Data………………………………………………………………………………...19

 Independent Variables…………………………………………………………………………………..21

  Dependent Variable……………………………………………………………………………………...22

  Alternative Explanations………………………………………………………………………………...23

 Illustrative Examples: Syrian Rebel Groups………………………………………………………25

Results and Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………...30

Summary of Expectations ……………………………………………………………………………...42

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………..43

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Political Science
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Political Science, International Law and Relations
Mot-clé	International Humanitarian Law Non-State Actors
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dr. Emily Gade, Emory University Dr. David Davis , Emory University
Committee Members	Dr. Dan Reiter, Emory University

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