ABSTRACT
Introduction The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) developed from having only a few dozen fighters in 1996, to having an estimated 30,000 fighters by the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in November 2006.1 How was the CPN-M able to successfully recruit fighters to its organization? This question is relevant to understanding the development of the conflict in Nepal, since a rebel group’s ability to recruit and motivate soldiers is essential not only to the growth of the organization, but also to its very existence.
