Insurgency Success Factors and Rebel Legitimacy
provide substantial insight into domestic insurgency dynamics. In particular, such analyses could
provide deeper examination into the interplay between rebel and state legitimacy, and how
legitimacy contributes to rebel and state capacity and success. The lack of research on rebel
legitimacy leaves gaps in understanding the impacts of rebel legitimacy on both rebel and state
roles in conflicts.
Current literature also lacks a definitive analysis of how varying levels of rebel
legitimacy affect rebellion outcomes. Absence of such analysis reduces the effectiveness of
claims that legitimacy is an important aspect of rebel dynamics or outcomes. This research
supports claims that legitimacy is beneficial to rebel groups, by showing that rebel groups that
achieve higher levels of legitimacy are awarded with greater access to legitimate political space,
resources, and relations with external actors. This paper presents a framework that dissects a
causational relationship between levels of rebel legitimacy; access to resources, diplomacy, and
political space; and how access or denial of access to these resources contributes to rebel success.
This framework is applied to a case study evaluation of the separatist rebellion movement in
Chechnya from 1990-2007.
Similarly, legitimacy literature focuses on legitimacy awarded through official avenues,
namely states and civilians. This analysis incorporates an evaluation of how non-legitimate
actors, such as other rebel or insurgent groups, award legitimacy and the difference in effects and
implications this form of legitimacy provides.
While legitimacy is not the only contributor of rebel success¹¹, findings from this analysis
suggest that the presence or absence of legitimacy in rebel groups substantially influences rebel
capacity to achieve success. Understanding these dynamics helps to clarify why and how certain
rebel groups are restricted from, or have greater access to different types of resources. Evaluating
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