Civil wars rarely divide cleanly into one good camp and one bad camp. Each side may contain subgroups with different aims and conduct, including abusive elements within a broadly sympathetic coalition. Outside intervention means dealing with several political and armed actors at once. Support therefore depends on identifying which actors represent a faction and what aiding them would entail.
Notable Point · 2:47:05-2:47:39
Why civil-war factions resist simple labels
A brief general-history aside warns that civil-war factions contain competing subgroups that complicate intervention.