Taking Turns

The project focuses on the interrelationship between both government and dissident leaders micromotives and the regime s/group s macrobehavior. That is, the author explains how dissident and government leaders individual motives transpire into events such as the clashes with riot police, cooperative agreements, and terrorist activities we observe in Chile, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Israel. In contentious political struggles between the government and an opposition group, how does a state s choice among tactics (e.g., violence versus negotiation) influence an opposition group s choice among tactics? Conversely, how does an opposition group s choice among tactics influence a state s choice among tactics? This project proposes a theory to answer these questions and posits a research design to test the theory''s implications.

Autorentext

Dr. Shellman is a Research Scientist at The College of William & Mary and serves as President of Strategic Analysis Enterprises, Inc. He is author of several research articles appearing in journals such as Comparative Political Studies, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Political Analysis, and Security Studies.