Rebellen, Milizen, Armee? Zur Typisierung der Peschmerga.

The article draws on the case of the Peshmerga to reflect on the meaning of the term militia. Moving away from actor-based conceptualizations, the article reviews the historical development of the Peshmerga with a focus on the reasons for their resort to violence. The analysis identifies violence against political rivals as one typical form of militia violence practised by partisan Peshmerga forces after 1991. It carves out the organizational structures that underlie this violence, and it indicates their persistence to this day. Finally, the article addresses several implications of these persistent structures for politics in Iraqi Kurdistan and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]