Insurgency Success Factors and Rebel Legitimacy
CHAPTER 4: EXTERNAL SUPPORT
External support is another influencer of rebel legitimacy. External support for rebellions
can be provided by international institutions, foreign states, foreign non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) foreign extremist organizations, migrants, and foreign religious
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institutions 0. These actors can perceive rebel groups as legitimate if the actions or ideologies of
the group align with external actor objectives, ideology, and goals 141. External actors can provide
a range of ideological and material support to support rebel activity. External actor perceptions
of legitimacy are formed around their own ideologies, objectives, and needs 142. For example, one
of the leading reasons the U.S. supported the early Chechen bid for independence, was due to the
belief that Chechen-controlled refineries would produce cheaper, more easily controlled oil
products, than Russian-controlled refineries.
Two factors influence external actors to provide legitimacy and support to rebel groups.
The first, is support of a rebel group's ideological basis 143. External actors often support rebel
ideology if the ideology aligns with the actor's own set of principles and ethnics, or if the rebel
group's ideology is beneficial to the goals of an external actor. Another legitimating factor is the
provision of resources, recruitment, and access to logistical networks 144. Studies by Bynum
(2010) and Fearon (2000) have linked external support to rebel sustainability, as material support
provided by external actors bolsters rebel capacity 145. While external actors can provide support
to organizations perceived as illegitimate, support is more likely to be sustainable and have
greater investment if the receiving group is perceived as legitimate.
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