Insurgency Success Factors and Rebel Legitimacy
In the context of this argument, legitimacy is defined as the acceptance of an organization's
"right to rule" over a designated territory by civilians, social institutions, and political elites.
Legitimacy is based on several key assumptions. The first assumption is that legitimacy is not
static and is subject to change depending on insurgent capacity, conflict context, as well as
population needs and perceptions20. The second, is that legitimacy is multidimensional, occurring
at all levels of an insurgency, and is the outcome of variety of social, cultural, geographical,
political, and economic processes 21. Third, it is assumed that, while insurgency is a bid for power
between a rebel group and a state, external actors can influence balances of power between both
actors.
This analysis aligns with literary perceptions of rebellion as an inherently political
movement, with social, ethnic, religious, geographic, and military components 22. In seeking
political power, rebel groups inherently pursue access to political space. Politics, however,
dictate many other aspects of governance, economic productivity, and social activity. As such,
legitimate political rule is obtained through non-political avenues in addition to political means23.
Current literature provides deep insight into the factors that award rebel groups with
legitimacy. Key arguments of the key factors known to award legitimacy are summarized in the
following paragraphs in this section.
Several studies independently evaluate the effects of political practice and support on
awarding legitimacy to insurgencies. Risa Brooks (2009) analyzed the effects of support from
established political institutions on insurgency. The analysis concluded that insurgencies with
support from established political institutions achieve greater levels of legitimacy, which
translates into greater access to resources, external support and other factors that contribute to
insurgent sustainability. The study also found that insurgencies receiving support from these
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