From Bullets to Ballots - A comparative case study of the political transition of ANC and Hamas

Sammanfattning: In this paper the authors performs a comparative case study between the political groups ANC and Hamas. Using the theoretical framework of Mimmi Söderberg-Kovacs as well as Anniseh Van Engeland and Rachel M. Rudolph the authors has constructed a set of variables to determine what allows a terrorist group to transition to a political party. The dependent variable is constructed as the sucessful transition to a political party. The independent variables consist of friends, factions and followers. These independent variables are operationalized through indicator-question constructed by Söderberg-Kovacs theory regarding rebel-groups. The two cases are presented on the basis of the independent variables and the indicator-questions. The paper continues with a within-case analysis as well as a between case analysis and concludes that the cases differed in regards to the independent variables. The variables friends and factions do not seem to be essential in the transition from terrorist-group to a political party.