... on the extent and content of nationalist inclusion, the government's position on the religious–secular dimension, and the left–right redistributive ideology that the government pursues. Second, under some conditions, tactical incentives explain more fine-grained patterns of armed politics. The chapter...

...This chapter begins by introducing unique new data on armed politics in South Asia and using them to illustrate the extraordinary range of armed orders in the subcontinent. Every armed order has substantial representation in the dataset, from pitched total wars to tight alliances to various...

...This chapter investigates India's distinctive patterns of armed politics. It offers a comparative historical account of the nationalist projects that survived into independence, showing how the slow but steady collapse of the Congress' nationalist project opened space for Hindu nationalism to seize...

...This chapter evaluates Pakistan's history of armed politics. The combination of a contested but powerful articulation of Muslim nationalism stretching back to the colonial period with the Pakistan Army's particular version of this project has led to a relatively consistent threat perception...

...This concluding chapter identifies new research directions and policy implications that flow from this book's claims. The armed politics approach provides an opportunity to move past the increasingly saturated core of existing research into new directions that can integrate with other areas...

... for armed politics. Burma Myanmar Ne Win Anti Fascist People’s Freedom League AFPFL in Burma Communist Party of Burma CPB Smith Martin Ceylon National Congress CNC Charney Michael W Dobama Asiayone We Burmans Association General Council of Burmese Associations GCBA Kachin in Burma Myanmar Karen...

...This chapter assesses Sri Lanka's history of armed politics. It begins by providing an overview of nationalist politics during the colonial period, primarily the emerging, but fragmented, contest between “Ceylonese” and Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism. The chapter then identifies the major shift...

...This book advances a broad approach to armed politics—bringing together governments, insurgents, militias, and armed political parties in a shared framework—to argue that governments' perception of the ideological threats posed by armed groups drive their responses and interactions. The book...