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After the Split: Partition, Successor States, and the Dynamics of War in the Horn of Africa
Journal article   Peer reviewed

After the Split: Partition, Successor States, and the Dynamics of War in the Horn of Africa

Michael Woldemariam and Alden Young
Journal of strategic studies, v 41(5), pp 684-720
29 Jul 2018

Abstract

Eritrea Ethiopia Partition South Sudan Sudan
Why do partitioned successor states engage one another in armed conflict? We explore the drivers of war between successor states by comparing two border crises that followed the partitions of Ethiopia (1993) and Sudan (2011). We argue that the politico-military struggles that give way to partition create important historical memories that shape what successor states think about the utility of military force. While the partition of Ethiopia yielded successor states led by regimes that were victors of the preceding war of partition, the war of partition in Sudan produced successor states that emerged out of military stalemate. This distinction explains why Ethiopia and Eritrea waged a costly border war that Sudan and South Sudan were able to avoid.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
International Relations
Political Science
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