DISSERTATION Project:
EXPLAINING THE OCCURRENCE AND DYNAMICS OF DOMINANT GROUP VIOLENCE: UNCERTAINTY, THREAT, AND ISRAELI SETTLER VIOLENCE IN THE WEST BANK [click Title to Download]
Why do dominant ethnic groups perpetrate violence against ethnic minorities and why does this violence vary in its frequency, severity, target choice, and level of popular participation over time?
Addressing the first question, I argue that existing explanations of dominant group violence lack a unifying theoretical framework that explains why dominant group violence occurs. In order to address this lacuna, I propose an explanation of dominant group violence founded on the social-psychological concept of uncertainty that can account for a range of existing explanations.
I build on the theoretical distinction between physical and social threat in order to explain the dynamic nature of dominant group violence. I posit that physically threatening events tend to trigger relatively frequent and severe attacks against minorities by a relatively large proportion of the dominant group. In contrast, socially threatening events tend to trigger attacks against symbolic sites representing the culture and identity of ethnic minorities by a relatively small and intolerant subsection of the dominant group.
In order to test my theoretical arguments, I employ a mixed methods research design relying on the West Bank as the primary case of analysis. The quantitative portion of my analysis uses both time-series regression and district-level descriptive analyses of an original dataset of contentious activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem (2010-2015). The data is available on the Data tab of my website. In order to examine the mechanisms underlying the quantitative results further, I conduct a historical case study of anti-Arab violence by Jewish civilians in Israel-Palestine from 1929 through 2015. The qualitative analysis builds on secondary literature and approximately 50 original interviews with Israeli settlers conducted in the West Bank in 2016 and 2017.
This research helps to bridge existing explanations of dominant group violence by developing a unifying theoretical framework and adds nuance to theoretical arguments linking threat and political violence. The results of the study suggest that as long as ethnonationalist sentiments remain entrenched, attempts to resolve ethnic conflict that do not fundamentally alter horizontal political inequalities are likely to exacerbate rather than moderate intercommunal conflict.
Hover over data points for additional details --- Select Governorate(s) of interest--- Double click chart to scale and center
Hover and zoom for greater detail ---Double click chart to scale and center
Publications:
Abstract: How do ethnic links between governments and pro-government militias (PGMs) affect the abusive behavior of PGMs? PGMs may recruit irrespective of ethnic group (Non-Ethnic PGMs), from the ethnic group that controls the government (Dominant PGMs), from quiescent groups not in control of the government (Peripheral PGMs), and from ethnic groups actively rebelling against the government (Defector PGMs). PGMs recruited on ethnic lines tend to have informal relationships with the government, so they often help the government avoid accountability for civilian targeting. Examining ethnic relationships rather than whether the relationship is informal or semi-official, however, reveals important nuances. Defector PGMs are both able to target selectively and are deterred from being too abusive. Peripheral PGMs can target civilians more frequently, but they tend to lack the capacity to carry out large-scale massacres. Dominant PGMs can and do carry out large-scale massacres, but they target civilians less frequently because they only act when government accountability is not a concern. Regression analysis of a global group-year dataset of PGM abuses (1989–2007) supports these expectations. Our analysis demonstrates the value of considering PGM ethnic relationships with the government.
Abstract: This paper introduces the African Relational Pro-Government Militia Dataset (RPGMD). Recent research has improved our understandings of how pro-government forces form, under what conditions they are most likely to act, and how they affect the risk of internal conflict, repression, and state fragility. In this paper, we give an overview of our dataset that identifies African pro-government militias (PGMs) from 1997 to 2014. The data set shows the wide proliferation and diffusion of these groups on the African continent. We identify 149 active PGMs, 104 of which are unique to our dataset. In addition to descriptive information
about these PGMs, we contribute measures of PGM alliance relationships, ethnic relationships, and context. We use these variables to examine the determinants of the presence and level of abusive behavior perpetrated by individual PGMs. Results
highlight the need to consider nuances in PGM–government relationships in addition to PGM characteristics.
Book chapter in an edited volume as part of the UCLA Center for Middle East Development (CMED) series on Middle East security and cooperation. In the chapter, I discuss the history of the Jewish-American peace camp (JAPC), contextualizing its current standing and activities, the rise of J Street and its challenge to entrenched Jewish lobbying organizations such as AIPAC and the Council of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, and the variety of tactics utilized by organizations within the JAPC.
Magid, Yehuda. "The Contemporary Relevance of Ravitzky Aviezer's Messianism, Zionism, and Jewish Religious Radicalism." in the NewJewish Canon. Ed. Yehuda Kurtzer and Claire Sufrin. 2020.
Selected working papers:
“Threat and the Dynamics of Low-Intensity Intercommunal Violence: Evidence from the West Bank”
"On the Streets and in the Shadows: Violent Protests, Terrorism, and State Repression"
"Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight : Explaining the Outbreak of the 2015 Palestinian Knife Intifada," draft presented at the 2019 International Studies Association annual convention.
"Uncertainty and Anti-Minority Violence: Explaining Domestic-Level Spatial Variation in Dominant Group Violence Against Civilians"
"Integrating the Study of Dominant Group Violence: State Repression, Pro-Government Militias, and Ethnic Vigilantes"
"From Zionism to Israeli Settler Violence," draft presented at the 2017 Association for Jewish Studies annual convention.
SELECTED POSTS:
“Israel and the Role of the Diaspora,” Devarim Magazine, July 1, 2010.