A MATHEMATICAL EXPLANATION FOR THE MARTYRDOM EFFECT

Abstract

Tsebelis and Sprague ([4]), Francisco ([3]), and others adaptedpredator-prey models from population biology to model the dynamics betweena regime and an opposition group (with the regime serving as predator andthe opposition group as prey). Meanwhile Lichbach ([2]) and Guitfraind ([1])considered the internal dynamics of a group as it responded to external coercion.In the following, we join the work of Guitfraind and Lichbach and present amodel that suggests that regimes can almost always suppress violent groups,but should move carefully against pacifists.