Civilian Strategy in Civil War ― Insights from Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines

While typically the victims of war, civilians are not necessarily passive recipients of violence. What options are available to civilians in times of war? Offering a modification of Hirschman's class schema, this book suggests three broad strategies - flight, support, and voice - and various combinations that arise from them. This schema provides a useful tool for understanding how civilians react to a wide range of armed conflicts. By disaggregating "civilians" into regions and social group, the study moves toward a theory of civilian action that emphasizes socio-cultural norms as much as conflict dynamics and security concerns.

Shane Joshua Barter is Associate Director of the Pacific Basin Research Center and Assistant Professor at Soka University of America. He has worked with Forum-Asia, the Carter Center, and the European Union and has published widely on armed conflict in Southeast Asia.