Browsing by Subject "conflict escalation"

In previous studies it has become clear that external support is essential for the success of separatist movements in their claim for self-rule. Independence is impossible to achieve without international recognition, which makes external support an integral part of separatist movements. Of particular interest is the role of external support when it comes to the level of conflict: is the support helpful to the minority and does it make the conflict escalate even further? The aim of this study is to look into external support granted to separatist movements and to see if this support is escalating in nature. With the help of existing theories on separatist conflict escalation, the comparative method is deployed using a grading system to shed light on the escalating nature of external support. The research question is “What kind of external support is granted to separatists by states and is the support escalating in nature?”. Separatist groups always reside in states, so essentially the study focuses on the dynamics of three actors that emerges from the internationalized conflict situation; the relationship between the host state and the separatist group is of importance, since it determines the process of escalation, but so is the relationship between the supporter and the separatists, and the supporter and the host state. Two cases were randomly selected for the analysis after checking for similar conditions with the help of the All Minorities at Risk dataset (AMAR). In this thesis, the conditions are that both separatist movements have a significant level on the separatism scale, have expressed claims for self-rule, have past grievances with the host-state, and most importantly have received external support. On the other hand, their key difference is that the other is in an active state of conflict, whereas the other is pursuing its separatist claims peacefully. The two cases that were selected are the Tibetans (peaceful) and the Kashmiris (in conflict). In the analysis, the support that India grants for Tibetans and the support that Pakistan grants for Kashmiris are given grades based on the escalating nature of the support. The lower the grade, the more escalating the support is according to existing theories on escalation. The result of the analysis is that both cases received the grade -0,5, which indicates some kind of escalating nature. The grade might indicate a broader trend considering separatism in the region.