Building Reputation: Proxy Wars and Transnational Identities

Abstract:

In the context of a global security framework that mitigates interstate conflicts, nationstates
establish a reputation for resolve by supporting foreign insurrections. Our theoretical
predictions indicate that states with a greater number of co-ethnic groups abroad are more
inclined to endorse foreign uprisings, resulting in higher political inclusion for such groups.
With a dataset comprising over 280,000 ethnic group × sponsor state × target state × year
observations, our analysis corroborates the role of reputation-building through co-ethnicity
narratives as a determinant of sponsor state engagement. We argue that this mechanism
engenders political concessions within target states, ultimately benefiting groups associated
with reputed potential sponsors.