ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of recent civil war research. It expresses that there are difficulties with applying a simple macro-micro distinction to civil war theory. Civil war literature has tended to study either the dynamics of the behaviour of individuals, decisions made by communal groups, or strategic interaction between the belligerents. Micro analysis examines the behaviour of ordinary people caught in a civil war environment. The meso-level of analysis focuses upon the behaviour of communal groups within the boundaries of the civil war state. Communal groups caught in a civil war are forced to make decisions such as which side to support and how much support to provide. Macro analysis is the highest plain of abstraction within a civil war. The majority of macro-level research on the impact of foreign intervention has focused on its effect on duration.
