Understanding the Changing Nature of Civil War Rivals: The Case of Myanmar.

Civil war researchers are beginning the process of disaggregating civil wars in order to better understand the ebbs and flows of peace and violence. This approach involves the understanding that episodes of civil war are one aspect of a relationship between the state and various non-state actors caught in an evolving rivalry. Some rivalries are short-lived episodes of violence usually resulting in military victory by the state. Others, however, endure varying in intensity over time and including several, even many, attempts at resolution. The Myanmar government has faced eight different intrastate conflicts comprised of multiple actors during its short history as a nation, including a Communist insurrection which itself splintered into a Red and White Flag factions. These groups have at times united with one another when doing so proved beneficial or convenient, and they have fought one another when those marriages of convenience failed to achieve their goals. Their approach to the conflict and each other have helped to influence the progression of their conflicts over time. Throughout these conflict histories, the government has resisted efforts at mediation and other forms of external interference. This paper will compare periods of escalation and deescalation across these conflicts in an effort to uncover the factors that seem to predict rivalry progression and termination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]