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Books by Rob Kevlihan

How and when do insurgents govern? How does the presence of aid and social services influence how insurgents govern? Under what circumstances can aid contribute to the management and transformation of civil wars? The established literature in this area argues that aid exacerbates civil wars where resources are scarce as greedy rebels steal resources for themselves. This book, however, argues that under certain conditions such greed can be good.

Drawing on primary research from three very different conflicts – Northern Ireland (1969–1998), southern Sudan (1983–2005) and Tajikistan (1992–1997) – and more than 10 years’ experience working in and researching humanitarian crises, this study breaks new ground through its wide-ranging comparison of conflicts. The book argues that insurgent efforts to reap rewards from aid and social services have in turn facilitated organizational changes and that these changes, while they may have had conflict-enhancing effects in the short term, have also contributed to conflict transformation over the long term.

This book will be of much interest to students of insurgencies, civil wars, comparative politics, conflict management, humanitarian emergencies, public health and IR/Security Studies in general.

Papers by Rob Kevlihan

This book examines the circumstances under which aid can contribute to the management and transfo... more This book examines the circumstances under which aid can contribute to the management and transformation of intra-state conflicts. How and when do insurgents govern? How does the presence of aid and social services influence how insurgents govern? Under what circumstances can aid contribute to the management and transformation of civil wars? The established literature in this area argues that aid exacerbates civil wars where resources are scarce as greedy rebels steal resources for themselves. This book, however, argues that ...

Hybrid forms of governance-where the central state authority does not possess a monopoly of viole... more Hybrid forms of governance-where the central state authority does not possess a monopoly of violence and fails to exercise control-are not only an epiphenomena but a reality likely to persist. This book explores this phenomenon drawing on examples from the Middle East and Africa. It considers the different sorts of actors-state and non-state, public and private, national and transnationalwhich possess power, examines the dynamics of the relationships between central authorities and other actors, and reviews the varying outcomes. The book provides an alternative view of the way in which governance has been constructed and lived, puts forward a conceptualisation of various forms of governance which have hitherto been regarded as exceptions, and argues for such forms of governance to be regarded as part of the norm.

Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-soviet Democratization, Sep 22, 2017

Abstract: This paper examines continuities, adaptions and innovations in elite electoral processe... more Abstract: This paper examines continuities, adaptions and innovations in elite electoral processes in Central Asian states between the Soviet and post-Soviet period. We argue that the authoritarian leaders of these states have utilized menus of manipulation developed during Soviet times to manage potentially challenging electoral processes, adapting these menus to changed circumstances, including the new reality of nominally pluralist political landscapes. The continuities highlighted by this analysis, particularly in the means used to manufacture implausibly high turnout figures and overwhelming vote shares for incumbents and ruling parties, illustrate patterns of autocratic governance practice in Central Asia and the continued relevance of Soviet legacies in understanding electoral processes in the region even more than 25 years after the end of the Soviet period.

The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children (Women’s Commission) works to improve the l... more The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children (Women’s Commission) works to improve the lives and defend the rights of refugee and internally displaced women, children and adolescents. �We advocate for their inclusion and participation in programs of humanitarian assistance and protection. �We provide technical expertise and policy advice to donors and organizations that work with refugees and the displaced. �We make recommendations to policy makers based on rigorous research and information gathered on fact-finding missions. �We join with refugee women, children and adolescents to ensure that their voices are heard from the community level to the highest councils of governments and international organizations. �We do this in the conviction that their empowerment is the surest route to the greater well-being of all forcibly displaced people. The Women’s Commission was established in 1989 to address the particular needs of refugee and displaced women and children. The Women’s...

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2010

Abstract: Text of a presentation made to the Kazakhstan Ministry of Education and Science and the... more Abstract: Text of a presentation made to the Kazakhstan Ministry of Education and Science and the Kazakhstan Academy of Education in Almaty, Kazakhstan, May 2006, that compares educational systems in the US, UK and Ireland with a particular focus on where student specialization occurs and on the operation of credit based academic systems.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2010

Abstract: This paper reviews the experience of introducing a self-reflective paper assignment int... more Abstract: This paper reviews the experience of introducing a self-reflective paper assignment into an oil and gas accounting course taught in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The author contends that in developing economies assumptions made in course design in more advanced economies with respect to institutions (including norms and values with respect to the importance of accountability and accounting systems) underpinning market economies cannot be taken for granted. As a result, inserting a course component that encourages ...

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2005

If you have any problems with this purchase, please contact us for assistance by email: Support@S... more If you have any problems with this purchase, please contact us for assistance by email: Support@SSRN.com or by phone: 877-SSRNHelp (877 777 6435) in the United States, or +1 585 442 8170 outside of the United States. We are open Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30AM and 6:00PM, United States Eastern. ... Abstract: Presentation on future trends with respect to Sudan, made in Khartoum, Sudan, September 2005. The presentation provides a overview of some of the major issues that continue to confront Sudan in the current period.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2009

While the conflict enhancing effects of social services, including those provided by humanitarian... more While the conflict enhancing effects of social services, including those provided by humanitarian actors, during civil wars has been relatively well documented, the potential service provision offers for conflict transformation is less well understood. This paper compares the impact of services on conflict transformation through a comparative analysis of services in three civil wars-Northern Ireland, Tajikistan and Sudan. Based on field research conducted in all three countries, it develops a framework for analysis building on the seminal work of Charles Tilly and his collaborators. It argues that causal mechanisms identified by Tilly, including opportunity hoarding and exploitation, offer useful lenses for understanding processes associated with service provision common to all three conflicts and provide a basis for understanding the contribution of service provision to conflict management and transformation in each case.

Journal of Mediation & Applied Conflict Analysis, 2015

Despite a considerable body of knowledge that examines the negative effects of aid and related so... more Despite a considerable body of knowledge that examines the negative effects of aid and related social services during civil wars, the role these same services can contribute to conflict management and transformation is less well understood. This article describes findings from a research study undertaken by the author to examine this question through a comparison of experiences with respect to social service provision in three very different conflicts – Northern Ireland, Tajikistan and Sudan. It discusses the ways that aid and social service provision can change structural conditions, making mediation efforts more likely. It also considers the limitations of aid’s effectiveness in this regard.

Conflict, Security & Development, 2018

Abstract Conflict management in the context of ethnic boundaries and a history of inter-ethnic vi... more Abstract Conflict management in the context of ethnic boundaries and a history of inter-ethnic violence remains a challenge in a range of socio-economic contexts. Conflict management in remote rural areas within developing states where state presence and capacity is relatively weak amidst a background of prolonged and ongoing inter-ethnic violence is particularly challenging. This article examines a case of successful bottom-up efforts to manage conflict at the micro level in northern Kenya. Focusing on the so-called siege of Loregon and its aftermath, this case study describes dynamics on one part of the ‘border’ between Turkana and Pokot ethnic groups, examining the causes and consequences of this violent episode, with a particular focus on recent successes at the local level in managing conflict and as a consequence in reducing the likelihood of future violence in a particular locality, despite ongoing violence in other parts of the interface between Turkana-Pokot ethnic groups.

Small Wars & Insurgencies, 2016

The March 2014 events in Crimea have made a major impact on Europe and sparked a variety of contr... more The March 2014 events in Crimea have made a major impact on Europe and sparked a variety of contradictory popular opinions. Most of the Western world maintains that Russia has violated customary international law, in addition to a number of specific international treaties to which it is a party (e.g. the Budapest Memorandum of 1994) and consequently, has engaged in a series of illegal actions. For their part, the Kremlin has publicly presented itself as the aggrieved and virtuous party, working to preserve the rights of Russian minorities abroad, protecting the principle of national self-determination, and welcoming the ABSTRACT Hybrid warfare, or whichever nomenclature one chooses to use, has emerged as one of the most innovative and popular instruments in contemporary international politics and is in no way limited to post-Soviet spaces. This special issue offers a multi-layered account of interstate and intrastate dynamics with respect to insurgent violence in the former Soviet Union over an extended period of time. The contributors explore both internal dynamics with respect to insurgencies and civil wars and the roles of external constituencies-whether through the use of hard power (for example in directly supporting insurgent groups) or soft power (through the power of international aid and strategic communications). Most importantly, however, they provide an insight into the complicated and diverse range of conflict-related situations and experiences relevant to Russia's 'near abroad'. This collection also offers nuance to accounts that seek to explain complicated dynamics in the former Soviet space with a single overarching realist or neorealist metanarrative that can occlude important insights to be derived from more multi-layered perspectives.

Aid, Insurgencies and Conflict Transformation, 2013

Disasters, 2013

The impact of conflict, particularly conflict arising during civil wars, on the provision of heal... more The impact of conflict, particularly conflict arising during civil wars, on the provision of healthcare is a subject that has not been widely considered in conflict-related research. Combatants often target health services to weaken or to defeat the enemy, while attempts to maintain or improve health systems also can comprise part of counter-insurgency &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;hearts-and-minds&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; strategies. This paper describes the dynamics associated with the provision of health services in Malakal, an important garrison town in South Sudan, during the second Sudanese civil war (1983-2005). Drawing on the concepts of opportunity hoarding and exploitation, it explores the social and political dynamics of service provision in and around the town during the war. These concepts provide a useful lens with which to understand better how health services are affected by conflict, while the empirical case study presented in the paper illustrates dynamics that may be repeated in other contexts. The concepts and case study set out in this paper should prove useful to healthcare providers working in conflict zones, including humanitarian aid agencies and their employees, increasing their understanding of the social and political dynamics that they are likely to face during future conflict-related complex emergencies.

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Abstract: This paper examines the tension between raison d'etat and morality that exists in ... more Abstract: This paper examines the tension between raison d'etat and morality that exists in US government humanitarian initiatives. It asks whether US humanitarian assistance overseas is truly based on needs alone through a detailed examination of one US government unit dedicated to providing lifesaving emergency relief in situations of natural or man-made disaster-the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). The paper concludes that the majority of OFDA ...

This book will be of much interest to students of insurgencies, civil wars, comparative politics, conflict management, humanitarian emergencies, public health and IR/Security Studies in general.

Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-soviet Democratization, Sep 22, 2017

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2010

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2005

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2009

Journal of Mediation & Applied Conflict Analysis, 2015

Conflict, Security & Development, 2018

Small Wars & Insurgencies, 2016

Aid, Insurgencies and Conflict Transformation, 2013

Disasters, 2013

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Humanitarian Exchange, No. 30, pp. 30-31, June 2005, Jun 1, 2005

Page 1. Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1357932 Developing 'connector... more Page 1. Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1357932 Developing 'connectors' during humanitarian intervention: is it possible in Western Sudan? By Rob Kevlihan, American University ...

The Colour Revolutions in the Former Soviet Union, edited by Abel Polese and Donnacha O Beachain, Jan 1, 2010

Seeds Bearing Fruit, Pan-African Peace Action in the 21st Century, edited by Elavie Ndura-Ouédraogo, Matt Meyer and Judith Atiri, Jan 1, 2011

International Security and the United States, edited by Karl De Rouen Jnr and Paul Bellamy, Jan 1, 2008

Stories for Trees, Stories and Images of Angola, Jan 1, 2002

Research and Perspectives on Development Practice, Apr 2014

This case study examines the status quo qith respect to donor audit harmonization at the internat... more This case study examines the status quo qith respect to donor audit harmonization at the international level and the challenges of implementing an integrated approach to auditing at the national level through host country systems, but in compliance with the requirements of bilateral and multi lateral donors. It will be relevant to anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of efforts at donor harmonization, use of host country systems and public policy relevant to development assistance.

steppe nomads, the most recent of which were the Kazakhs. Divided into three distinct hordes (zhu... more steppe nomads, the most recent of which were the Kazakhs. Divided into three distinct hordes (zhuz in Kazakh); the Great Horde in the south, the Middle Horde in the center and northeast, and the Little Horde in the west, Kazakhs trace a common ethno-genesis with other Turkic speaking peoples of Central Asia and beyond, and are typically classified in a common category with Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Azerbaijani and Turkish ethnic groups.

International Studies Association Annual Conference, Jan 1, 2011

ABSTRACT: The United States has made repeated public commitments to provide humanitarian aid base... more ABSTRACT: The United States has made repeated public commitments to provide humanitarian aid based on needs alone. However, scholars suggest that foreign policy goals also are important and likely stronger predictors of US humanitarian assistance. We examine the tension between raison d'état and morality that potentially exists in US government humanitarian initiatives by studying the aid decisions of the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) for ...

Abstract: While the conflict enhancing effects of social services, including those provided by hu... more Abstract: While the conflict enhancing effects of social services, including those provided by humanitarian actors, during civil wars has been relatively well documented, the potential service provision offers for conflict transformation is less well understood. This paper compares the impact of services on conflict transformation through a comparative analysis of services in three civil wars-Northern Ireland, Tajikistan and Sudan.

KIMEP VI International Research Conference, Apr 24, 2009

This paper considers the impact of civil war on social service provision in Tajikistan, examining... more This paper considers the impact of civil war on social service provision in Tajikistan, examining the decline in services in the context of economic and political transitions associated with the collapse of communism, combined with the severe impact of conflict. Adopting an analytical focus on causal mechanisms, including opportunity hoarding, exploitation, adaptation and emulation, it describes the manner in which social services adapted to the constraints of civil war and the altered strategies and behavior of those seeking to access services under such extreme circumstances.

Abstract: This paper examines the tension between raison d'etat and morality that exists in US go... more Abstract: This paper examines the tension between raison d'etat and morality that exists in US government humanitarian initiatives. It asks whether US humanitarian assistance overseas is truly based on needs alone through a detailed examination of one US government unit dedicated to providing lifesaving emergency relief in situations of natural or man-made disaster-the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).

International Relations is a discipline that seeks to understand the behavior of states in the in... more International Relations is a discipline that seeks to understand the behavior of states in the international system. Traditionally, its primary focus has been on the great question of war and peace between countries, but over time scholars working in this discipline have broadened their span of topics to include the political economy of economic exchange and trade, international institutions and other forms of international co-operation, questions of global justice, international development and notions of global civil society, amongst other topics.

Education Action, Issue 23, July 2009, pp29-32

Page 1. Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1357932 Developing 'connectors' du... more Page 1. Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1357932 Developing 'connectors' during humanitarian intervention: is it possible in Western Sudan?

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Khalid, Islam after Communism 135 pendence levels by the late 1990s. M oreover, due to growing in... more Khalid, Islam after Communism 135 pendence levels by the late 1990s. M oreover, due to growing incom e inequality, m ost G eorgians have not benefited from recent econom ic gains, condem ning m ore than half of the population to live below the national poverty line.13 It is therefore unlikely that social and econom ic hardships played only a secondary role during the Rose Revolution, as suggested in this volume. Interviews with ordinary citizens who participated in the dem onstrations might have highlighted deeply felt socio -econom ic concerns, w hich are still w idespread in post -2003 Georgia, severely eroding the popularity of President Saakashvili.

Page 1. Introduction to Central Asia By Rob Kevlihan Presented at the Centre for International St... more Page 1. Introduction to Central Asia By Rob Kevlihan Presented at the Centre for International Studies, Dublin City University, April 2006 Page 2. Page 3. Overview Comprises five states of the former USSR including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan Strategically placed between Russia, China, Iran and Afghanistan Asian region that was formerly part of the Soviet Union Page 4.

Abstract: Presentation on future trends with respect to Sudan, made in Khartoum, Sudan, September... more Abstract: Presentation on future trends with respect to Sudan, made in Khartoum, Sudan, September 2005. The presentation provides a overview of some of the major issues that continue to confront Sudan in the current period.

Abstract: Under what circumstances can the provision of social services, including that provided ... more Abstract: Under what circumstances can the provision of social services, including that provided as humanitarian assistance, contribute to the management and transformation of civil wars? This dissertation addresses this question through a qualitative comparative analysis of social service provision during three civil wars-Northern Ireland (1969-1998), southern Sudan (1983-2005) and Tajikistan (1992-1997).

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Cork, Trócaire and the Development Studies Association of Ireland co-hosted a roundtable discussi... more Cork, Trócaire and the Development Studies Association of Ireland co-hosted a roundtable discussion on 1 st October 2015 in the Council Room, University College Cork. The Irish Research Council funded the event. The roundtable discussion was devised to create an opportunity to reflect on how Irish organisations contributed to a complex response led by the Sierra Leone authorities following the Ebola outbreak of 2014 which to date has taken the lives of 3,955 people, from a total of 13,982 1 diagnosed cases in the country. While the discussion focused on Sierra Leone, it was acknowledged throughout that Ebola was an international crisis, which resulted in 11,314 lost lives in ten countries, with Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone accounting for the vast majority of cases. Ireland's collective response has been and continues to be substantial. Ireland has a long connection with Sierra Leone and the role of the Irish Embassy, Irish Aid and the specific role of Irish non-governmental organisations in responding to the crisis must be acknowledged. Concern, Trócaire, Oxfam Ireland, World Vision Ireland, UCC, MSF, GOAL, and the former Ebola Coordinator of the Department of Foreign Affairs came to together to share insights from their work, observations on the wider response and importantly, pooling ideas and recommendations for future responses, as there is little doubt that a similar response will be needed again. In an attempt to capture the essence of the day, we have highlighted some of the key observations and recommendations from the presentations and the discussions that took place. The first session, " Psychosocial protection in Ebola Affected Communities " , examined the experiences of people directly affected by Ebola, including child and adult survivors, orphans and bereaved people and burial workers. The three presentations highlighted persistent psychosocial difficulties brought about by the outbreak and by the response. In particular, the focus of the session was on how to design context-appropriate interventions that support and strengthen processes of resilience at family and community level. The presentations and discussions highlighted that psychosocial aspects of the Ebola outbreak and 1 http://apps.who.int/ebola/ebola-situation-reports (sourced 16/10/2015)

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"Glossary of terms in public financial management, with a particular focus on Ghana. Includes ter... more "Glossary of terms in public financial management, with a particular focus on Ghana. Includes terms used by a range of donors involved in providing bilateral and multilateral aid to development partner governments, including USAID, the EU, The World Bank and others.

Compilation of this glossary was made possible with the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Purchase Order 641-0-00-11-00005-00. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government"