Understanding Change in Non-State Armed Group Behaviour: Zapatista-Rebel Interactions in Mexico
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Unlike other studies of non-state armed groups (NSAGs) that draw significance from the perspective of the state or international security, this article focuses on the perspective and agency of the civilian population. We investigate the interactions between the ‘Zapatista’ civilians in Mexico and the NSAG who governed them, the Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional (EZLN), contributing to understandings of NSAG change. Using a Process Tracing method, we trace the actions of the Zapatistas to changes in the behaviour of the EZLN. We find that the Zapatistas had significant impact on the behaviour of the EZLN, generating fundamental transformations in institutions, governance, and policy. Specifically, civilian engagement forced the EZLN to refocus their initially violent goals and policies around indigenous preferences, especially autonomy from the state, introduce governance reforms, and change the level of political engagement with the Mexican government.
Source: Civil Wars
Authors: Srinjoy Bose, Henry Nott
Institution: UNSW Sydney
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4409620330