Introduction

Armed intrastate conflict and civil wars are the primary form of organized violence in the contemporary world, in an era where inter-state war, although far from extinct, is an increasingly unlikely prospect for most countries. Academic interest in understanding and explaining civil wars – and in particular, what causes them – has grown enormously since the end of the Cold War, and this has evolved into a substantial field of research and study. In policy circles, too, civil wars are pressing challenges with implications for international stability and intervention. This collection brings together a range of debates and research findings which define the study of civil wars and intrastate armed conflict, covering methodological approaches, the sources and causes of civil war, the nature and impact of violence, and factors relating to the duration, termination, recurrence and international dimensions of civil war. It also gives attention to broad patterns in types and numbers of civil wars in historical perspective.