Why States Rebel: Understanding State Sponsorship of Terrorism

Given the fact that two-thirds of all intrastate wars since 1945 have included foreign interventions, what drives sovereign states to support non-state conflict parties? In order to understand causes and calculations of this particular type of third party intervention, this book connects some of the most important contemporary debates in international relations, ranging from security cooperation between states and non-state actors to the effects of intervention on both local conflict dynamics and interstate relations. Presenting a new theoretical framework and a multidimensional concept of support (endorsement, hosting, as well as financial and military assistance), this book establishes a systematic path between international as well as domestic incentives and specific types of sponsorship policies. In a subsequent comparative analysis, the author examines conditions and dynamics of Syria's cooperation with Fatah, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, and Hizballah from 1964 to 2006.

State sponsorship of terrorism connects major contemporary issues of international relations such as intra- and interstate conflict as well as third-party intervention. The author examines Syria's relations with Palestinian Fatah, Turkish-Kurdish PKK, and Lebanese Hizballah, between 1964 and 2006. In order to understand why states choose to form alliances with terrorist organizations, the author links international and domestic security policy challenges with the formal and informal limitations political leaders take into consideration when adjusting to them