States and "Pro-Government" Militias (PGMs): Delegation, Deniability, Acquiescence or Antagonism? Explaining Variation in State-PGM Relationships

"This PhD research project proposes to investigate complexity and variation in state-PGM relationships. There is a growing body of empirical analyses on extra-dyadic actors that refers to "pro-government militias" (PGMs), conceived broadly as non-state armed organizations that are pro-government in some way. Because these groups are defined by their "pro-government" orientation, researchers often assume that governments directly or indirectly manage or delegate tasks to PGMs. However, a closer inspection reveals a variety of relationships with the state. Militias such as the Civilian Defence Patrols in Guatemala enjoyed semi-official status as a government-led and mandated counterinsurgent organization. Others like the Janjaweed in Sudan have operated in an informal capacity that allowed the government to disavow itself of their actions. Elsewhere, governments have had an antagonistic relationship with PGMs and even militarily targeted them, such as the Iraqi government with the Sons of Iraq. In addition, government-PGM relations can shift over time. Research has not systematically addressed these variations in state-PGM relationships.

Taking Northern Ireland, the Philippines, and Colombia as comparative case studies, this research will examine the nuanced relationships between the state and counterinsurgent paramilitaries (such as the Ulster Volunteer Force, Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Units, and Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia) and how and why these relationships vary between cases and over time.

This project will contribute to our understanding of state-PGM relationships by providing theories that explain variations in government-PGM relationships, from open state-led paramilitaries through to hostile engagement between the state and counter-insurgency organisations.
"