Abstract
What are the downstream effects of rebel governance on the demand for reform in post-conflict settings and their perceived legitimacy? Through an analysis of Kuwaiti civil society’s engagement in rebel governance during the Iraqi 1990–1991 occupation of Kuwait, the study shows that engaging in rebel governance in contexts of occupation increases civil society groups’ claims on their states, in which they update framing and increase their demands for greater participation after liberation. However, the perceived legitimacy of such demands is predicated by the public’s experience of rebel governance. Namely, those who experienced the alternative governance structure provided by resistance rebels demonstrate greater support of post-war activism and demand for political participation. The paper seeks to contribute to the literature on the impact of rebel governance on post-war democratization by specifically focusing on groups operating within contexts of occupation, in impacting post-war political behavior. Unlike previous studies regarding rebel governance, the organizations on which this study focuses are neither secessionist nor center-seeking. Rather, resistance rebels seek the return of the state—however, on their own terms.
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Notes
Serekberhan (in press, p. 1) identifies civil society groups’ organization of neighborhood committees with similar organizational dynamics in Sudan during the 2019 uprising. Thus, the tendency for civilian populations to organize neighborhood-level units of governance to fill vacuums in public service provision during conflict is not unique to the case of occupied Kuwait. The conflicts under which civil society have organized in both cases vary. However, similarities in organizational dynamics may allow for future cross-case comparisons on the phenomenon’s influence on post-conflict political contestation in cases that exhibit similar dynamics.
To demonstrate al-Riyāḍ’s favorable coverage, consider some of the headlines from its 28 August, 1990 issue (Fig. 1) that read; “Resistance operations are “amazing,” “Kuwaiti newspaper al-Siyasa requisitioned… now publishes under the name ‘al-Nida al-Iraqi,’”and “Defection of a high-ranking Iraqi officer to the resistance… smuggled out of Kuwait in women’s clothing.” Al-Nida al-Iraqi translates to “The Iraqi Call.”.
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AlMuaili, M. The perceived legitimacy of post-war rights: the case of Kuwaiti resistance. Int Polit (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-024-00562-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-024-00562-z