Ex-Rebel Commanders and Postwar Statebuilding: Subnational Evidence from C^oted'Ivoire Philip Andrew Martin* Abstract Ex-rebel commanders play a central role in peacebuilding after civil war, often deciding where governments consolidate authority and whether states relapse into vio- lence. Yet the influence and mobilization power of these actors is not uniform: in some areas commanders retain strong social ties to civilian populations after integrating into the state, while in other areas such ties wither away. What accounts for this variation? This article advances a theory of local goods provision and political accountability to explain why commander-community linkages endure or decline after post-conflict tran- sitions. Drawing on multiple data sources from C^oted'Ivoire | including an original survey of community informants in former rebel-occupied regions | it shows that com- manders retained social capital and access to networks of supporters in areas where insurgents provided essential goods to civilians during war. Where insurgents' wartime rule involved coercion and abuse, by contrast, ex-rebel commanders were more likely to lose influence and mobilization power. These findings challenge existing theories of rebel institution-building and state formation, suggesting that effective governance can help armed movements build popular support and win civil wars, but simultaneously create regionally-embedded strongmen who are able to facilitate but also resist the centralizing efforts of state rulers. *PhD Candidate, Department of Political Science, MIT. Predoctoral Research Fel- low, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Email:
[email protected]. The Puzzle: Commander-Community Ties After Civil War The towns of Sangouin´eand Mahapleu in western C^oted'Ivoire were both occupied by the Forces Nouvelles (FN) rebel movement during the Ivorian civil war (2002-2011).