Publication Date

2017-04-25

Availability

Open access

Embargo Period

2017-04-25

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

International Studies (Arts and Sciences)

Date of Defense

2017-04-04

First Committee Member

Joseph M. Parent

Second Committee Member

Jennifer Connolly

Third Committee Member

Lilian Yaffe

Abstract

How do civil wars affect post-war states? I argue that instead of simply examining one or two variables, civil wars need to be viewed holistically, in order to properly observe their effect on post-war states. The pre-war government, alliances, type of warfare, duration, and method of war termination work together in a causal sequence to determine the stability and quality of subsequent post-war states. Using comparative historical analysis, supplemented with process tracing, I compare three cases from Central America: the Costa Rican Civil War, the Sandinista Revolution, and the Salvadoran Civil War. A road map to state stability and instability and recurrence is drawn here.

Keywords

civil war; latin america; political science; central america

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