Bridging research across the subfields of international relations and comparative politics: The case of a secessionist movement in Southern Sudan

Abstract

This article demonstrates the potential for rigorous and systematic bridging research across the subfields of
comparative politics and international relations. Examining the issue of secessionist movements and a detailed case
study of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), the article contends that understanding both
‘domestic’ and ‘international’ issues are crucial for such a study. In the case of Sudan, it is found that external forces
significantly influenced the direction of the secessionist movement and the conflict itself. In particular, the paper
documents the involvement of Kenya, Egypt, the United States of America, Multinational Corporations extracting oil
and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) concerned with human rights violations. The article concludes by
asserting that it is imperative to incorporate tools of analysis from both subfields in order to comprehensively
understand and explain the case study at hand and international issues such as secession more broadly.