Benjamin Valentino: Why we kil: The Political science of political violence against civilians

this article claims

Argument: Violence against civilians is instrumental and seeks to achieve tangible political or military objectives

previous views: pre1990

-Civilian deaths as collateral damage

• Civilian fatalities the result of ancient hatred/tribal sentiments

Findings

• Focus on governmental exploitation of communal differences

• Recognition of intraethnic violence and violence against moderate coethnics

• Civilians are not merely bystander to armed conflict: intentional targeting

Intentional targeting of civilians

• Insurgents coerce civilians into providing support

• Increase costs on governments in the effort to extract

concessions or to change policy

• Dependency on civilian populations for critical resources

• Killings due to lack of discipline

• Killing to stop the other side from fighting

• Clear territory to eliminate the threat of a rebellion

elite motivations

• Motives of elites interact with environments

• Shift focus from issues of change to injustices by silencing those who pose the threat to the status quo

• Role of political ideas: communist terror

• But: not all violence against civilians is strategic