Talking with terrorists, talking with governments

Insurgent perspectives on legitimisation and engagement

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12918705
AutoresPhilippe Duhart (Colgate University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2018
Volumen12
Número3
Páginas395-415
Fecha de publicación2018-11-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCritical Studies on Terrorism (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1753-9161 • E-ISSN: 1753-9153
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17539153.2018.1539584
OpenAlexW2898687343
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas49

It is often claimed that “talking to terrorists legitimises terrorism”. But analysts too often assume that insurgents seek standard forms of liberal-legalistic legitimisation through engagement with the state. From a Weberian perspective, however, liberal-legalistic legitimacy is one of a myriad of symbolic and practical grounds for legitimisation. This paper takes a political sociological approach to the problem of legitimacy in “terrorist” conflicts through a comparative analysis of Irish republican and Basque separatist efforts to end the campaigns of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Basque Homeland and Freedom (ETA). There are three principal findings. First, violent insurgents often reject liberal-legalistic legitimatisation and instead seek recognition of their capacity to shape the trajectories of conflicts – and therefore recognition of their centrality to ending them. Second, the pursuit by violent insurgents for recognition of capacity often comes into conflict with their non-violent allies’ pursuit of liberal-legalistic legitimisation, which can hinder peace-making. Finally, the pursuit of these forms of legitimisation structure peace processes in that armed groups seeking recognition demand direct talks with governments, while legitimacy-seeking non-violent insurgents emphasise engagement with political parties and non-violent organisations. The relative balance between symbolic goals thus shapes the practice of peace-making in such conflicts

Criminology · Irish · Legitimacy · Political science · Political violence · Politics · Sociology · Terrorism · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence