Delegated interstate war: introducing an addition to armed conflict typologies

Hauter, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0625-8531 (2019) Delegated interstate war: introducing an addition to armed conflict typologies. Journal of Strategic Security, 12 (4). pp. 90-103. ISSN 1944-0472 doi: 10.5038/1944-0472.12.4.1756

Abstract/Summary

Drawing the dividing line between civil and interstate war can be a difficult task. This task is made even more difficult by a gap in the current typology of armed conflict. The conflict studies literature in general and the coding rules of the Uppsala Conflict Data Program in particular acknowledge that internal conflict can involve external actors but ignore that interstate conflict can be disguised as internal rebellion. This creates an unnecessary risk of categorization errors and a risk of neglecting the potential complexity of interstate conflict in the modern world. This article uses Idean Salehyan's distinction between intervention and delegation, the Nicaragua Judgement of the International Court of Justice, and the debate on the causes of the war in eastern Ukraine to illustrate this point. On the basis of this discussion, it proposes the introduction of a new category – delegated interstate conflict – to create a more coherent and symmetrical typology.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/125189
Identification Number/DOI	10.5038/1944-0472.12.4.1756
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Politics, Economics and International Relations > Politics and International Relations
Publisher	Global and National Security Institute (GNSI)
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