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INTRODUCTION
The political risk literature suggests that multinational enterprises' (MNE) ability to understand and influence government policies affecting firms contributes to MNEs' long-term success in host countries (Henisz & Zelner, 2005; Oliver, 1991). In particular, paying attention to the "determinants of legitimacy in a given society" seems to be critical to understanding the social and political factors that shape the home country context in which foreign firms operate (Henisz & Zelner, 2012: 47). It is, however, extraordinarily difficult to perceive and understand the underlying forces that contribute to the legitimacy of foreign firms in emerging countries characterized by underdeveloped institutional contexts, volatile politics and the possibility of macro political shocks such as violent conflict (Fitzpatrick, 1983; Getz & Oetzel, 2009; Khanna & Palepu, 2000). Although developing close political ties with government can help MNEs navigate political risk (Cuervo-Cazurra, 2006; Sun, Mellahi, & Thun, 2010), the very ties that aid navigation in risky environments also increase the chance that the foreign firm will suffer from association with an unpopular government (Sun, Mellahi, & Wright, 2012), especially if that government loses power and/or acceptance by society at large (Bucheli & Salvaj, 2013; Leuz & Oberholzer-Gee, 2006). And close association with a fallen government can threaten a foreign firm's legitimacy, license to operate and assets (Getz & Oetzel, 2009; Leuz & Oberholzer-Gee, 2006; Siegel, 2007). The risk of guilt by association is particularly acute when governments are autocratic and institutions have developed little credibility beyond their association with the ruling regime (Bucheli & Kim, 2012; Henisz & Zelner, 2004). Foreign firms that operate in such contexts, whether by choice or accidents of history, face the impossible dilemma of risking the government's ire by building relationships with opponents or eroding the firm's legitimacy in the eyes of a broad swath of society by maintaining cozy ties with the ruling elite (Bucheli & Salvaj, 2013).
Recognizing this challenge, Sun and colleagues have recently called for more exploration into how firms "manage relationships between rival political groups in a politically unstable regime" (Sun et al., 2012: 80). In one of the few studies to address the challenge directly, Doh and Ramamurti (2003: 349) suggest that foreign firms engaged in infrastructure projects in volatile country contexts "should consider ... a proactive approach...