Maxwin Paul Rayen is a PhD candidate in the Department of War Studies at King's College London. His research focuses on counterinsurgency operations, counterterrorism, human rights, genocide studies, and military strategy, with a particular interest in Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Myanmar, Eastern Europe during the Nazi invasion, and Guatemala. He holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Human Rights Law from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Lund University, Sweden. His master’s thesis, titled Collective Genocidal Intent in Sri Lanka, analyses the mass killings during the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War from an international criminal law perspective. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts and Laws (BA LLB) from National Law University Odisha, India.

Maxwin is a member of both the War Crimes Research Group and the Conflict, Security, and Development Research Group in the Department of War Studies. Prior to beginning his doctoral studies, he worked with various international non-profit organisations, documenting war crimes.

Research Interests:

• Relationship between counterinsurgency operations and ethnic mass killings
• Impact of counterterrorism measures on ethnic mass killings
• Violations of the Genocide Convention
• Strategic motivations behind ethnic mass killings

Thesis Title and Abstract:

When Does Counterinsurgency Become Genocidal: Sri Lanka as a Case Study

Major genocides in modern history share a striking similarity: they often occur within the context of state-led counterinsurgency (COIN) operations. Perpetrators frequently label their victims as "terrorists," "rebels," or "insurgents," extending these labels to entire communities associated with these groups. These communities are portrayed as existential threats to the state's survival, thereby justifying their destruction under the guise of self-defence.

In both COIN and genocide, society becomes heavily militarised, and civil society is systematically destroyed. When these processes occur simultaneously, the state perceives segments of its population as enemies and collaborators with hostile forces. There is a clear power imbalance between the state and non-state actors in COIN, and between the state and the targeted population in genocidal campaigns. In both cases, the ultimate objective is the total annihilation of the perceived enemy.

Traditional understandings of genocide emphasise the role of social, economic, historical, and political differences between groups, the dehumanisation of victims, land tenure issues, political inclusivity, and labour or social relations. However, there is a significant but underexplored connection between genocide and COIN operations that goes beyond these factors. Examining this relationship, particularly through the lens of Sri Lanka as a case study, could offer valuable insights into the intersections of genocide and counterinsurgency.

Supervisors:

• Rebekka Friedman
• Maria Varaki

Research Centres & Groups:

• War Crimes Research Group
• Conflict, Security, and Development