Abstract:
Since the early 1990s, southern Mexico has suffered several significant instances of civil
unrest, protest and violent military/civilian clashes, which profoundly affect the lives of
local peoples and threaten national and regional stability. This study examines three
remarkable and ongoing episodes of low-intensity civil conflict in Mexico's southern
states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero. It is concluded that the three states suffer from
similarly high levels of structural violence, and that the militant groups under
consideration share many grievances and goals. However, the three groups vary widely
in terms of the contentious tactics they use, particularly their use of violence. It is argued
that this variance is due in large part to a complex relationship between the political
opportunities and constraints faced by each group and their unique social identities and
ideologies. The implications of the study's analytical model for the nonviolent settlement
of intrastate conflict in general are considered.
