Why States Rebel

The theoretical and analytical framework developed and applied in this book argues that sponsorship emerges under specific conditions of mutually reinforcing external and internal security dilemmas, constituting a third way between interstate alliance formation and unilateral armament. Subsequently, [...]
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The theoretical and analytical framework developed and applied in this book argues that sponsorship emerges under specific conditions of mutually reinforcing external and internal security dilemmas, constituting a third way between interstate alliance formation and unilateral armament. Subsequently, specific interplay patterns between interstate enmity and domestic threats to regime survival determine both extent and shape of governmental assistance to terrorist organizations. Examining Syria's relations with Palestinian Fatah, Turkish-Kurdish PKK, and Lebanese Hizballah, between 1964 and 2006, the analysis explored processes of alliance formation and development, which had not yet been systematically traced. As suggested by the model, Syrian assistance strongly corresponded with the presence of an unfavorable imbalance of power vis-a-vis Israel and Turkey, enhanced by interstate conflict, and both internationally and domestically generated limitations on alternative adjustment policies.Moreover, a new typology of sponsorship, comprising both material and immaterial forms of assistance, proved highly useful to assess how Damascus managed its alignments while permanently evaluating abandonment and entrapment risks against the background of its own security environment. Finally, the study developed and tested a new neoclassical realist model of sponsorship policies, explaining increased commitment, shifts in sponsorship emphases, or even realignment.