Federico Manfredi Firmian
Biographic Data
| ID | 1351479 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Federico Manfredi Firmian |
| GIVEN NAMES | Federico Manfredi |
| FAMILY NAME | Firmian |
| SIGNATURE | FIRMIAN F M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8910-0670 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 7 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 7 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Introduction
This special issue examines state capture by militias, paramilitaries, and organized crime, building on prior research into how powerful armed actors infiltrate and co-opt state institutions. It features six case studies: Hezbollah’s state capture drive in Lebanon (Lina Khatib), pro-Iran militias in Iraq (Michael Knights and Crispin Smith), Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (Majak D’Agoôt), the ‘ndrangheta in Italy (Anna Sergi and Alberto Vannucci), C…
Russia's state capture strategy in Africa, from Wagner to the Africa corps
While much of the literature on state capture focuses on corrupt business networks, the concept can also elucidate how powerful armed actors can co-opt government officials and institutions to influence policy-making. This chapter argues that Russia leveraged the activities of the Wagner Group in Africa to pursue a form of state capture. Drawing on expert interviews and open-source intelligence, it presents evidence from the Central African Repub…
When Militias capture the state
Studies on militias tend to focus on state policies, such as government collusion with militias during counterinsurgencies or post-conflict demobilization programs. This article examines militia strategies vis-à-vis the state, focusing on the case of militias engaged in ‘state capture’ – i.e. the covert and gradual penetration of state institutions aimed to shape public policy. The article provides an overview of key concepts and definitions, pro…
Dangerous Gifts
The title of Ozan Ozavci’s new book is a retort to Fouad Ajami’s The Foreigner’s Gift.1 In that 2006 book, the late Ajami had argued that the US invasion of Iraq represented an American “gift” to the Iraqi people and to the Arab world at large, as it offered them the opportunity to do away with dictatorship and secure a new democratic order. Ajami’s take was the subject of numerous spirited critiques, which Ozavci echoes when he notes that the ci…
Can Sudan's Democratic Transition Be Salvaged
Sudan's democratic transition following the ousting of Omar Al‐Bashir in 2019 was from the start an uphill struggle. Three decades of Islamist military dictatorship, multiple internal conflicts, widespread poverty, and depleted state coffers all weighed heavily on the political authorities tasked with forging a new democratic system. Yet, there was hope in Sudan, at least for a time, particularly after the United Nations helped broker the histori…
Strengthening the US Partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces
Almost a year into US President Joe Biden’s term of office, his administration still lacks a clear Syria policy. The persistent lack of a cogent US approach to Syria carries dangerous implications for the people of Syria and the world at large. Going forward, the US ought to chart a more deliberate and consistent path. Despite recent setbacks, the Kurdish-run autonomous administration of north and east Syria still stands as an exceptional model o…
The War in Syria
Many existing studies on the war in Syria offer important insights but none fully engages the longue durée of history and its implications. Syria like many other states in Asia was established and institutionalized in the context of the growth and expansion of a capitalist world economy centred in Europe. The Franco-British reorganization of the Levant between the two world wars was supposed to support long-term processes of wealth accumulation a…
When Militias capture the state
Studies on militias tend to focus on state policies, such as government collusion with militias during counterinsurgencies or post-conflict demobilization programs. This article examines militia strategies vis-à-vis the state, focusing on the case of militias engaged in ‘state capture’ – i.e. the covert and gradual penetration of state institutions aimed to shape public policy. The article provides an overview of key concepts and definitions, pro…
Can Sudan's Democratic Transition Be Salvaged
Sudan's democratic transition following the ousting of Omar Al‐Bashir in 2019 was from the start an uphill struggle. Three decades of Islamist military dictatorship, multiple internal conflicts, widespread poverty, and depleted state coffers all weighed heavily on the political authorities tasked with forging a new democratic system. Yet, there was hope in Sudan, at least for a time, particularly after the United Nations helped broker the histori…
Russia's state capture strategy in Africa, from Wagner to the Africa corps
While much of the literature on state capture focuses on corrupt business networks, the concept can also elucidate how powerful armed actors can co-opt government officials and institutions to influence policy-making. This chapter argues that Russia leveraged the activities of the Wagner Group in Africa to pursue a form of state capture. Drawing on expert interviews and open-source intelligence, it presents evidence from the Central African Repub…
The War in Syria
Many existing studies on the war in Syria offer important insights but none fully engages the longue durée of history and its implications. Syria like many other states in Asia was established and institutionalized in the context of the growth and expansion of a capitalist world economy centred in Europe. The Franco-British reorganization of the Levant between the two world wars was supposed to support long-term processes of wealth accumulation a…
Strengthening the US Partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces
Almost a year into US President Joe Biden’s term of office, his administration still lacks a clear Syria policy. The persistent lack of a cogent US approach to Syria carries dangerous implications for the people of Syria and the world at large. Going forward, the US ought to chart a more deliberate and consistent path. Despite recent setbacks, the Kurdish-run autonomous administration of north and east Syria still stands as an exceptional model o…
Dangerous Gifts
The title of Ozan Ozavci’s new book is a retort to Fouad Ajami’s The Foreigner’s Gift.1 In that 2006 book, the late Ajami had argued that the US invasion of Iraq represented an American “gift” to the Iraqi people and to the Arab world at large, as it offered them the opportunity to do away with dictatorship and secure a new democratic order. Ajami’s take was the subject of numerous spirited critiques, which Ozavci echoes when he notes that the ci…
Can Sudan's Democratic Transition Be Salvaged
Sudan's democratic transition following the ousting of Omar Al‐Bashir in 2019 was from the start an uphill struggle. Three decades of Islamist military dictatorship, multiple internal conflicts, widespread poverty, and depleted state coffers all weighed heavily on the political authorities tasked with forging a new democratic system. Yet, there was hope in Sudan, at least for a time, particularly after the United Nations helped broker the histori…
When Militias capture the state
Studies on militias tend to focus on state policies, such as government collusion with militias during counterinsurgencies or post-conflict demobilization programs. This article examines militia strategies vis-à-vis the state, focusing on the case of militias engaged in ‘state capture’ – i.e. the covert and gradual penetration of state institutions aimed to shape public policy. The article provides an overview of key concepts and definitions, pro…
Introduction
This special issue examines state capture by militias, paramilitaries, and organized crime, building on prior research into how powerful armed actors infiltrate and co-opt state institutions. It features six case studies: Hezbollah’s state capture drive in Lebanon (Lina Khatib), pro-Iran militias in Iraq (Michael Knights and Crispin Smith), Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (Majak D’Agoôt), the ‘ndrangheta in Italy (Anna Sergi and Alberto Vannucci), C…
Russia's state capture strategy in Africa, from Wagner to the Africa corps
While much of the literature on state capture focuses on corrupt business networks, the concept can also elucidate how powerful armed actors can co-opt government officials and institutions to influence policy-making. This chapter argues that Russia leveraged the activities of the Wagner Group in Africa to pursue a form of state capture. Drawing on expert interviews and open-source intelligence, it presents evidence from the Central African Repub…
Political science (7 works) · Law (6 works) · Politics (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Political economy (5 works) · Economics (4 works) · Democracy (3 works) · Development economics (3 works) · Law (3 works) · Middle East Politics and Society (3 works)