States and "Pro-Government" Militias (PGMs): Delegation, Deniability, Acquiescence or Antagonism? Explaining Variation in State-PGM Relationships

“这个博士研究项目建议调查状态- pgm关系的复杂性和变化。越来越多的实证分析将“亲政府民兵”（pgm）定义为非国家武装组织，在某种程度上亲政府。由于这些群体是由他们的“亲政府”取向定义的，研究人员通常假设政府直接或间接地管理或将任务委托给pgm。然而，仔细观察就会发现它与国家的各种关系。民兵，如危地马拉的民防巡逻队，作为政府领导和授权的反叛乱组织，享有半官方地位。其他像苏丹金戈威德这样的组织以非正式的身份运作，这使得政府可以否认他们的行为。在其他地方，政府与PGMs有敌对关系，甚至在军事上针对他们，例如伊拉克政府与伊拉克之子。此外，政府与pgm的关系可能会随着时间的推移而发生变化。研究还没有系统地解决这些国家- pgm关系的变化。以北爱尔兰、菲律宾和哥伦比亚为比较案例研究，本研究将研究国家和反叛乱准军事组织（如阿尔斯特志愿军、公民武装部队地理单位和哥伦比亚自卫军）之间的微妙关系，以及这些关系如何以及为什么在不同的情况下随时间而变化。该项目将通过提供解释政府与pgm关系变化的理论，有助于我们理解国家与pgm之间的关系，从公开的国家领导的准军事组织到国家与反叛乱组织之间的敌对接触。”

"This PhD research project proposes to investigate complexity and variation in state-PGM relationships. There is a growing body of empirical analyses on extra-dyadic actors that refers to "pro-government militias" (PGMs), conceived broadly as non-state armed organizations that are pro-government in some way. Because these groups are defined by their "pro-government" orientation, researchers often assume that governments directly or indirectly manage or delegate tasks to PGMs. However, a closer inspection reveals a variety of relationships with the state. Militias such as the Civilian Defence Patrols in Guatemala enjoyed semi-official status as a government-led and mandated counterinsurgent organization. Others like the Janjaweed in Sudan have operated in an informal capacity that allowed the government to disavow itself of their actions. Elsewhere, governments have had an antagonistic relationship with PGMs and even militarily targeted them, such as the Iraqi government with the Sons of Iraq. In addition, government-PGM relations can shift over time. Research has not systematically addressed these variations in state-PGM relationships.Taking Northern Ireland, the Philippines, and Colombia as comparative case studies, this research will examine the nuanced relationships between the state and counterinsurgent paramilitaries (such as the Ulster Volunteer Force, Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Units, and Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia) and how and why these relationships vary between cases and over time.This project will contribute to our understanding of state-PGM relationships by providing theories that explain variations in government-PGM relationships, from open state-led paramilitaries through to hostile engagement between the state and counter-insurgency organisations."