Gambling with Violence: State Outsourcing of War in Pakistan and India

In Gambling with Violence, Yelena Biberman tackles a global problem that is particularly consequential for Pakistan and India: state outsourcing of violence to ordinary civilians, criminals, and ex-insurgents. Why would these countries gamble with their own national security by outsourcing
violence - arming nonstate actors inside their own borders? Drawing on over 200 interviews, archival research, and fieldwork conducted across Asia, Europe, and North America, Biberman introduces the balance-of-interests thesis to deepen our understanding of state-nonstate alliances in civil war.
This framework centers on the distribution of power during war and shows how various combinations of interests result in distinct types of coalitions. Incorporating case studies of civil war and counterinsurgency, her book sheds light on how militias, alliances, and South Asian security connect
today.


Author: Yelena Biberman
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 07/02/2019
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9780190929978

Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2020

About the Author

Yelena Biberman is an assistant professor of political science at Skidmore College and Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center. She specializes in the study of political violence, South Asian politics, and unconventional warfare.

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