Monopolies of Violence in Developing Democracies: Emerging Evidence from India

Abstract

Traditional theories about how a state achieves a monopoly of violence are becoming increasingly strained as different forms of democracy have spread across the globe, and as shifting international norms change what is considered legitimate state action. This article assesses five state responses to political violence in India (military, human rights, media, policing, and preventive policy) to argue that India’s growing domestic need to address demands for human security and internationalized need to support human rights underpin its evolving efforts to maintain legitimacy and secure a Weberian monopoly of violence in an internationalized political environment.