Elites who win this contest and establish themselves as the most credible defender of the nation will then gain the support and resources needed either to maintain their tenure as leaders (assuming they are incumbents) or, in a conoict, to be victorious.
In religious outbidding, the process is similar; elites attempt to outbid each other to enhance their religious credentials and thereby gain the support they need to counter an immediate threat. In this process, however, regime type is not as important as it is in nationalist outbidding. I argue that a civil war is likely to become a religious civil war when four conditions hold: (1) govern- ment or rebel leaders are immediately threatened; (2) resources (e.g., small arms, cash, skilled aghters, and logistical support) needed to reduce or elimi- nate the threat may be acquired by framing a conoict in religious terms; (3) the society has preexisting, though not necessarily deep, religious cleavages; and (4) the government controls public access to information.
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