Description
Book SynopsisMany of the world''s statesfrom Algeria to Ireland to the United Statesare the result of robust national movements that achieved independence. Many other national movements have failed in their attempts to achieve statehood, including the Basques, the Kurds, and the Palestinians. In Rebel Power, Peter Krause offers a powerful new theory to explain this variation focusing on the internal balance of power among nationalist groups, who cooperate with each other to establish a new state while simultaneously competing to lead it. The most powerful groups push to achieve states while they are in position to rule them, whereas weaker groups unlikely to gain the spoils of office are likely to become spoilers, employing risky, escalatory violence to forestall victory while they improve their position in the movement hierarchy. Hegemonic movements with one dominant group are therefore more likely to achieve statehood than internally competitive, fragmented movements due to their greate
Trade Review
Empirically rich and logically rigorous, Krause's original approach will attract a lot of attention from scholars of nationalism and insurgency.
* Choice *
Brings together theoretical insights about intermovement dynamics, as well as detailed analyses of four national movements.... This work builds upon several recent contributions in the area of conflict studies.
* Perspectives on Politics *
A rare combination of elegant theorizing and rich empirical analysis, which will no doubt influence scholars' and policymakers' thinking for years to come.
* Political Science Quarterly *
Table of Contents1. Power, Violence, and Victory2. Why National Movements Compete, Fight, and Win3. The Palestinian National Movement: The Sisyphean Tragedy of Fragmentation4. The Zionist Movement: Victory Hanging in the Balance5. The Algerian National Movement: The Long, Bloody March to Hegemony6. The Irish National Movement: Where You Stand Depends on Where You Sit7. The Politics of National Movements and the Future of Rebel Power
