Jean‐françois Ratelle
Biographic Data
| ID | 343151 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jean‐françois Ratelle |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jean‐françois |
| FAMILY NAME | Ratelle |
| SIGNATURE | RATELLE J F |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Ottawa |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 52 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Chechen Combat Units in Ukraine: A Displaced Insurgency
La paradiplomatie de Ramzan Kadyrov au Moyen-Orient
Cet article analyse l’importance du religieux dans la paradiplomatie tchétchène au Moyen-Orient. Il examine tout d’abord le développement de la paradiplomatie tchétchène en expliquant son lien avec le programme de tchétchénisation du gouvernement russe. L’article démontre que cette paradiplomatie a été développée par Moscou dans le but de fragmenter le soutien international aux insurgés à la fin de la deuxième guerre de Tchétchénie, de présenter …
Purifying the Religion: An Analysis of Haram Targeting among Salafi Jihadi Groups
Islamic law denotes as haram any forbidden behavior, object, beverage, or food. Despite subscribing to a similar Salafi ideology, very few jihadi groups use violence against haram targets (e.g., brothels, casinos, statues, liquor stores, mixed sex schools, and gay clubs). This study argues that haram-centered violence unites ethnically-mixed jihadi groups by fostering a superordinate Islamic identity that enables them to overcome their collective…
Defected and loyal? A case study of counter-defection mechanisms inside Chechen paramilitaries
Can former insurgents in the service of counterinsurgent paramilitaries be considered a perfectly loyal force? What mechanisms may help to deter subsequent defections of individuals who have already “betrayed” once? Drawing on a unique set of primary data, this article examines the effective counter-defection practices of Chechnya’s pro-Moscow paramilitaries toward prospective defectors from among ex-insurgents. It explores three interwoven mecha…
Retaliation in Rebellion: The Missing Link to Explaining Insurgent Violence in Dagestan
This article posits that the remnants of archaic sociocultural norms, particularly the honour-imposed custom of retaliation, play a crucial role in the process of insurgent engagement in Russia's autonomous republic of Dagestan. Through a series of interviews with former insurgents, this study outlines two retaliation-centred mechanisms: “individual retaliation” and “spiritual retaliation” in order to explain the microcosm of motives behind insur…
Researching networked insurgencies and foreign fighters in Eurasia
Introducing this special issue of Caucasus Survey on networked insurgencies in Eurasia, this article discusses some of the key themes discussed in the issue. We present the case for the networked character of insurgencies in Eurasia, in which distinct insurgent fronts borrow, incorporate and transform ideas, goals and human experiences among themselves in a constantly shifting constellation. We briefly discuss the shifting role of networks and id…
North Caucasian foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq: Assessing the threat of returnees to the Russian Federation
This article looks into the dangers posed by the return of the North Caucasus militants in Syria and Iraq to the security of the Russian Federation. The article first divides the recruitment of North Caucasian foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq into two distinct waves. I argue that the first wave of North Caucasus foreign fighters (2011–2013) chose Syria because they could not fight in the North Caucasus. By contrast, the second wave (2014–2016) …
A Perfect Counterinsurgency? Making Sense of Moscow’s Policy of Chechenisation
This article assesses the successes and setbacks of Moscow’s policy of counterinsurgency and beyond. It challenges the general consensus in scholarship positing that military successes associated with Chechenisation have been obtained against the backdrop of Chechnya’s increasingly autonomous status within Russia, considered by some as a case of ‘systemic separatism’. The article tracks how four key mechanisms (Chechnya’s institutional design, in…
A critical assessment of the scholarship on violent conflicts in the North Caucasus during the post-Soviet period
This article provides an in-depth literature review of the different trends and debates in the English academic literature on the violent conflicts in the North Caucasus during the post- Soviet period. This literature review is separated into three major debates and focused on four major themes that consistently appear in the study of violent conflicts in the North Caucasus: nationalism and identity (grievance), criminality and opportunism (greed…
A Political Sociology Approach to the Diffusion of Conflict from Chechnya to Dagestan and Ingushetia
This article seeks to foster a better understanding of the diffusion of conflict in the North Caucasus. We argue that diffusion of conflict is a dynamic and adaptive process in which outcomes are shaped by the intersection of three social mechanisms—attribution of similarity, brokerage, and outbidding—and the political, social, and religious contexts. We suggest that a distinction should be made between horizontal and vertical processes of diffus…
Making sense of violence in civil war: Challenging Academic Narratives Through Political Ethnography
This article seeks to assess the role of political ethnography in the study of civil war, and more particularly research which focuses on the micro-dynamics of violence. By focusing on the representations put forward by econometric and structural research about civil war, this article underlines the importance of fieldwork research and political ethnography in deepening and broadening our understanding of violence in civil war. By using the autho…
A Perfect Counterinsurgency? Making Sense of Moscow’s Policy of Chechenisation
This article assesses the successes and setbacks of Moscow’s policy of counterinsurgency and beyond. It challenges the general consensus in scholarship positing that military successes associated with Chechenisation have been obtained against the backdrop of Chechnya’s increasingly autonomous status within Russia, considered by some as a case of ‘systemic separatism’. The article tracks how four key mechanisms (Chechnya’s institutional design, in…
A Political Sociology Approach to the Diffusion of Conflict from Chechnya to Dagestan and Ingushetia
This article seeks to foster a better understanding of the diffusion of conflict in the North Caucasus. We argue that diffusion of conflict is a dynamic and adaptive process in which outcomes are shaped by the intersection of three social mechanisms—attribution of similarity, brokerage, and outbidding—and the political, social, and religious contexts. We suggest that a distinction should be made between horizontal and vertical processes of diffus…
Defected and loyal? A case study of counter-defection mechanisms inside Chechen paramilitaries
Can former insurgents in the service of counterinsurgent paramilitaries be considered a perfectly loyal force? What mechanisms may help to deter subsequent defections of individuals who have already “betrayed” once? Drawing on a unique set of primary data, this article examines the effective counter-defection practices of Chechnya’s pro-Moscow paramilitaries toward prospective defectors from among ex-insurgents. It explores three interwoven mecha…
Retaliation in Rebellion: The Missing Link to Explaining Insurgent Violence in Dagestan
This article posits that the remnants of archaic sociocultural norms, particularly the honour-imposed custom of retaliation, play a crucial role in the process of insurgent engagement in Russia's autonomous republic of Dagestan. Through a series of interviews with former insurgents, this study outlines two retaliation-centred mechanisms: “individual retaliation” and “spiritual retaliation” in order to explain the microcosm of motives behind insur…
North Caucasian foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq: Assessing the threat of returnees to the Russian Federation
This article looks into the dangers posed by the return of the North Caucasus militants in Syria and Iraq to the security of the Russian Federation. The article first divides the recruitment of North Caucasian foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq into two distinct waves. I argue that the first wave of North Caucasus foreign fighters (2011–2013) chose Syria because they could not fight in the North Caucasus. By contrast, the second wave (2014–2016) …
A critical assessment of the scholarship on violent conflicts in the North Caucasus during the post-Soviet period
This article provides an in-depth literature review of the different trends and debates in the English academic literature on the violent conflicts in the North Caucasus during the post- Soviet period. This literature review is separated into three major debates and focused on four major themes that consistently appear in the study of violent conflicts in the North Caucasus: nationalism and identity (grievance), criminality and opportunism (greed…
Making sense of violence in civil war: Challenging Academic Narratives Through Political Ethnography
This article seeks to assess the role of political ethnography in the study of civil war, and more particularly research which focuses on the micro-dynamics of violence. By focusing on the representations put forward by econometric and structural research about civil war, this article underlines the importance of fieldwork research and political ethnography in deepening and broadening our understanding of violence in civil war. By using the autho…
La paradiplomatie de Ramzan Kadyrov au Moyen-Orient
Cet article analyse l’importance du religieux dans la paradiplomatie tchétchène au Moyen-Orient. Il examine tout d’abord le développement de la paradiplomatie tchétchène en expliquant son lien avec le programme de tchétchénisation du gouvernement russe. L’article démontre que cette paradiplomatie a été développée par Moscou dans le but de fragmenter le soutien international aux insurgés à la fin de la deuxième guerre de Tchétchénie, de présenter …
A Political Sociology Approach to the Diffusion of Conflict from Chechnya to Dagestan and Ingushetia
This article seeks to foster a better understanding of the diffusion of conflict in the North Caucasus. We argue that diffusion of conflict is a dynamic and adaptive process in which outcomes are shaped by the intersection of three social mechanisms—attribution of similarity, brokerage, and outbidding—and the political, social, and religious contexts. We suggest that a distinction should be made between horizontal and vertical processes of diffus…
Making sense of violence in civil war: Challenging Academic Narratives Through Political Ethnography
This article seeks to assess the role of political ethnography in the study of civil war, and more particularly research which focuses on the micro-dynamics of violence. By focusing on the representations put forward by econometric and structural research about civil war, this article underlines the importance of fieldwork research and political ethnography in deepening and broadening our understanding of violence in civil war. By using the autho…
A critical assessment of the scholarship on violent conflicts in the North Caucasus during the post-Soviet period
This article provides an in-depth literature review of the different trends and debates in the English academic literature on the violent conflicts in the North Caucasus during the post- Soviet period. This literature review is separated into three major debates and focused on four major themes that consistently appear in the study of violent conflicts in the North Caucasus: nationalism and identity (grievance), criminality and opportunism (greed…
Researching networked insurgencies and foreign fighters in Eurasia
Introducing this special issue of Caucasus Survey on networked insurgencies in Eurasia, this article discusses some of the key themes discussed in the issue. We present the case for the networked character of insurgencies in Eurasia, in which distinct insurgent fronts borrow, incorporate and transform ideas, goals and human experiences among themselves in a constantly shifting constellation. We briefly discuss the shifting role of networks and id…
North Caucasian foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq: Assessing the threat of returnees to the Russian Federation
This article looks into the dangers posed by the return of the North Caucasus militants in Syria and Iraq to the security of the Russian Federation. The article first divides the recruitment of North Caucasian foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq into two distinct waves. I argue that the first wave of North Caucasus foreign fighters (2011–2013) chose Syria because they could not fight in the North Caucasus. By contrast, the second wave (2014–2016) …
A Perfect Counterinsurgency? Making Sense of Moscow’s Policy of Chechenisation
This article assesses the successes and setbacks of Moscow’s policy of counterinsurgency and beyond. It challenges the general consensus in scholarship positing that military successes associated with Chechenisation have been obtained against the backdrop of Chechnya’s increasingly autonomous status within Russia, considered by some as a case of ‘systemic separatism’. The article tracks how four key mechanisms (Chechnya’s institutional design, in…
Retaliation in Rebellion: The Missing Link to Explaining Insurgent Violence in Dagestan
This article posits that the remnants of archaic sociocultural norms, particularly the honour-imposed custom of retaliation, play a crucial role in the process of insurgent engagement in Russia's autonomous republic of Dagestan. Through a series of interviews with former insurgents, this study outlines two retaliation-centred mechanisms: “individual retaliation” and “spiritual retaliation” in order to explain the microcosm of motives behind insur…
Defected and loyal? A case study of counter-defection mechanisms inside Chechen paramilitaries
Can former insurgents in the service of counterinsurgent paramilitaries be considered a perfectly loyal force? What mechanisms may help to deter subsequent defections of individuals who have already “betrayed” once? Drawing on a unique set of primary data, this article examines the effective counter-defection practices of Chechnya’s pro-Moscow paramilitaries toward prospective defectors from among ex-insurgents. It explores three interwoven mecha…
La paradiplomatie de Ramzan Kadyrov au Moyen-Orient
Cet article analyse l’importance du religieux dans la paradiplomatie tchétchène au Moyen-Orient. Il examine tout d’abord le développement de la paradiplomatie tchétchène en expliquant son lien avec le programme de tchétchénisation du gouvernement russe. L’article démontre que cette paradiplomatie a été développée par Moscou dans le but de fragmenter le soutien international aux insurgés à la fin de la deuxième guerre de Tchétchénie, de présenter …
Purifying the Religion: An Analysis of Haram Targeting among Salafi Jihadi Groups
Islamic law denotes as haram any forbidden behavior, object, beverage, or food. Despite subscribing to a similar Salafi ideology, very few jihadi groups use violence against haram targets (e.g., brothels, casinos, statues, liquor stores, mixed sex schools, and gay clubs). This study argues that haram-centered violence unites ethnically-mixed jihadi groups by fostering a superordinate Islamic identity that enables them to overcome their collective…
Chechen Combat Units in Ukraine: A Displaced Insurgency
Political Conflict and Governance (10 works) · Political science (10 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence (7 works) · Criminology (6 works) · Political economy (6 works) · Politics (6 works) · Law (5 works) · Ideology (4 works)