ETHNO-SEPARATIST RE-EMERGENCE: A STUDY OF MALLEABLE CONFLICT FRAMES

Abstract

Ethno-separatist movements must often confront two notorious problems. The first exists in the need to secure international support for their nationalist claims, which is often met with nonchalance or rejection from the international community. The second lies in overcoming collective action problems to mobilize domestic support for action. Moreover, possible setbacks experienced by movements should theoretically reinforce collective action problems, given that individuals would think twice before recommitting themselves to an effort that has already been proven futile. Hence, specific to movements that have experienced extensive defeat, it is puzzling how such movements may persist in their separatist efforts, and sometimes even turn the tide in resolving these two problems. How do these defeated movements regain support for their cause after they have experienced devastating setbacks? This paper examines three case studies: 1) the Fretilin movement; 2) the free Aceh movement; and 3) the Republic of South Maluku movement in answering the aforementioned question. It postulates a strategy of ‘malleable frames’ employed by separatist leaders to reinvigorate support for their cause after their initial setbacks. This is given that the initial frames used for mobilization lose their resonance as a result of the changing socio-demographics associated with extensive defeats in protracted conflicts. As such, older frames become de-emphasised and diluted by new frames to shift attention away from the demoralization attached to the initial setbacks. These newer frames have different target audiences – be it to selected demographics of their community or to selected members of the international community. In essence, this paper argues that these ‘malleable frames’ are tools (i.e. frames) of mobilization that have to be re-shaped by separatist leaders to regain support when socio-political circumstances (such as defeat, or demographic changes that occur over protracted conflicts) have changed. The failure to do so would be met with antipathy and condemnation from both domestic and international communities.