Triadic Coercion

In the post-Cold War era, an increasing number of conflicts involve states and non-state actors. Yet states often have difficulty fighting such groups due to their small size, secretive structures, lack of visible assets, and extremist ideologies. Given these circumstances, some analysts conclude that states cannot deter non-state actors directly, and instead recommend that states aim to deter other states that aid, abet, or host these non-state actors--a strategy Atzili and Pearlman term "triadic coercion." In this book, Pearlman and Atzili explain the strategic function of triadic coercion,…