FIight, Flight, Mimic is the first systematic study of deceptive mimicry in the context of wars.
FIight, Flight, Mimic is the first systematic study of deceptive mimicry in the context of wars. Deceptive mimicry -- the manipulation of individual or group identity -- includes passing off as a different individual, as a member of a group to which one does not belong, or, for a group, to 'sign' its action as another group.
Mimicry exploits the reputation of the model it mimics to avoid capture (flight), to strike undetected at the enemy (fight), or to hide behind or besmirch the reputation of the model group ('false flag' operations). These tactics have previously been described anecdotally, mixed in with other ruses de guerre, but the authors show that mimicry is a distinct form of deception with its own logic and particularly consequential effects on those involved. The book offers a theory and game-theoretic model of mimicry, an overview of its use through history, and a deep empirical exploration of its modern manifestations through several case studies by leading social scientists. The chapters cover mimicry in the context of the Northern Ireland conflict, terrorism campaigns in 1970s Italy, the height of the Iraq insurgency, the Rwandan genocide, the Naxalite rebellion in India, and jihadi discussion forums on the Internet.
Recenzijas
Fight, Flight, Mimic is a thought-provoking read that will spark debate on mimicry in violent conflicts. * Krzysztof Krakowski, Journal of Peace Research *
1. The Theory and History of Mimicry in Conflict, DIEGO GAMBETTA and THOMAS HEGGHAMMER2. Strategic Dynamics of Social Mimicry, JAMES D. FEARON3. Can You Trust Anyone on Jihadi Internet Forums?, THOMAS HEGGHAMMER4. The Codeword Conundrum in the Northern Ireland Conflict, HEATHER HAMILL5. Mimics among Violent Extremists Italy, 1969-1980, VALERIA PIZZINI-GAMBETTA and DIEGO GAMBETTA6. Where Are the Mimics when Passing Seems Easy? The Rwandan Genocide in Comparative Perspective, DAVID D. LAITIN7. 'Trademark Wars': Naxals vs. Criminal Extortionists in India, PAVAN MAMIDI8. Mimicry and its Double in the Iraqi Civil War, STEPHEN HOLMES
Diego Gambetta (PhD, FBA) is Carlo Alberto Chair in social and political science at the Collegio Carlo Alberto, Turin, Italy, and Emeritus Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford. He has published academic books and articles, on trust and signalling theory, criminal organisations, the North-South Italian divide, and violent extremists. For the general public he has written on Primo Levi's death, discursive machismo, and heroic impatience. He was awarded the "Paolo Borsellino Prize" for his book on the Sicilian Mafia. He has held visiting positions at several universities (Chicago, Columbia, Science Po, College de France, ETH, Stanford, NYU). In 2000 he became a Fellow of the British Academy.
Thomas Hegghammer is Senior Research Fellow in Politics at All Souls College, Oxford University. He is a political scientist and historian who specializes in the study of militant Islamist groups. His books include Jihad in Saudi Arabia: Violence and Pan-Islamism since 1979 (Cambridge 2010), JIihadi Culture: The Art and Social Practices of Militant Islamists (Cambridge 2017), and The Caravan: Abdallah Azzam and the Rise of Global Jihad (Cambridge 2020). He worked for two decades at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) in Oslo and has held fellowships at Princeton, Harvard, and Stanford Universitites as well as at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
