Includes bibliographical references and index.

The strategic art of confronting armed groups --
Ch. 1. The difficulties of accommodating or eliminating armed groups.
Northern Ireland: the UK politicizes its security response ;
Sri Lanka: destroying the LTTE after years of war and talks ;
Delivering a decisive outcome against armed groups --
Ch. 2. Struggle to move from military stalemate to negotiations.
Colombia: five decades of tilting between fighting and taking ;
Turkey: belatedly opening a political track with the PKK ;
Chasing political settlements with armed group --
Ch. 3. The ruthless pragmatism of being selective and deceptive.
Russia: playing politics and waging war to quell Chechnya's rebellion ;
Pakistan: fighting and talking to Islamist militants since 9/11 ;
Do these policies arise from cunning or desperation? --
Ch. 4. When partnerships of states confront armed groups.
Afghanistan: neither defeating nor reconciling with the Taliban ;
Iraq: as the armed-group challenge ends, another begins ;
Engaging armed groups through partnerships --
Ch. 5. The lopsided strategies of very weak or very strong states.
The DRC: a weak state forget from armed groups ;
Israel's perpetual security dilemma in the Palestinian territories --
Conclusion.
Developing an analytical framework ;
No exit ;
Policy insights.

Fighting armed groups is an uncertain business, and so is negotiating. Doing both alternately, concurrently or selectively, is highly demanding. This book develops a framework to help analysts and policymakers understand the challenges of using a combination of coercion and diplomacy in dealing with armed groups. it considers which complexities have proved most inhibiting, and which have been worked around. What are the obvious traps that states fall into? What appears to be the smarter moves? Thinking in terms of 'military' or 'political solutions' is unhelpful- a strategic approach requires a fusion of coercion and negotiation. Drawing on dent disparate cases, this Adelphi book draws clear lessons for the creation and execution of a coherent strategy for states involved in such conflicts, which often run for generations.