VNSA
Encyclopedia
Violent non-state actor refers to any organization that uses illegal violence (i.e. force not officially approved of by the state
) to reach its goals. The term has been used in several papers published by the United States military.
when he wrote "Furthermore, to-day, the use of force is regarded as legitimate only so far as it is either permitted by the state or prescribed by it". This attribute is often described by social scientists as a state's monopoly on violence
within its territory, for as Chibli Mallat wrote "Judicial power wields, through the rule of law, the most sophisticated manifestation of state coercion. There is no rule of law without the state's monopoly of violence".
Phil Williams
, in an overview article, argues that "in the 21st century, the state monopoly on violence is being reduced to a convenient fiction. Relatively few of the sovereign states of the United Nations can truly claim a monopoly on force within their territorial borders."
Williams points out that while Europe benefited from the "state-building impetus of the total wars of the 20th century", other parts of the world did not undergo that cementing experience.
Williams identifies various types of non-state actors. Warlords
and militias have a territory over which they exercise some of the control functions of a government. Insurgencies are engaged in a civil war to take over the state or a portion thereof. Criminal organizations and youth gangs are essentially illegal business organizations. ("Crime for them is simply a continuation of business by other means".) Terrorist organizations are sometimes an early stage of an insurgency.
s) are in one way or another sponsored by the state, or by local authorities (see also state-sponsored terrorism
and para-militaries).
Most VNSAs however emerge in response to deficiencies, inadequacies, or shortcomings; i.e. when the state does not provide safety, security, (economic) stability and the basic public services for its citizens, or certain groups of citizens (minorities). When the state lacks legitimacy and/or capacity, others will fill the gap, take advantage, or directly confront the state. (See also Relative deprivation
, Failed state
and Fragile state
.)
Motives of VNSAs can be either mainly materialistic (like the present-day Mafia
), or mainly political/ideological (like the ETA
or EZLN), or religious (like Al-Qaeda
), or a mix of these. In reality these distinctions are often not clear. Hamas
or FARC, for instance, might be viewed by their supporters as freedom fighters
and by their detractors as terrorists or criminal organizations.
State (polity)
A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...
) to reach its goals. The term has been used in several papers published by the United States military.
Rise of violent non-state actors
An attribute of the nation-state was characterized by Max WeberMax Weber
Karl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber was a German sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the discipline of sociology itself...
when he wrote "Furthermore, to-day, the use of force is regarded as legitimate only so far as it is either permitted by the state or prescribed by it". This attribute is often described by social scientists as a state's monopoly on violence
Monopoly on violence
The monopoly on violence is the conception of the state expounded by Max Weber in Politics as a Vocation. According to Weber, the state is that entity which claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence, which it may therefore elect to delegate as it sees fit...
within its territory, for as Chibli Mallat wrote "Judicial power wields, through the rule of law, the most sophisticated manifestation of state coercion. There is no rule of law without the state's monopoly of violence".
Phil Williams
Phil Williams
Professor Philip James Stradling Williams was a Welsh politician for Plaid Cymru and scientist.-Background:...
, in an overview article, argues that "in the 21st century, the state monopoly on violence is being reduced to a convenient fiction. Relatively few of the sovereign states of the United Nations can truly claim a monopoly on force within their territorial borders."
Williams points out that while Europe benefited from the "state-building impetus of the total wars of the 20th century", other parts of the world did not undergo that cementing experience.
Williams identifies various types of non-state actors. Warlords
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
and militias have a territory over which they exercise some of the control functions of a government. Insurgencies are engaged in a civil war to take over the state or a portion thereof. Criminal organizations and youth gangs are essentially illegal business organizations. ("Crime for them is simply a continuation of business by other means".) Terrorist organizations are sometimes an early stage of an insurgency.
Origin and motives
Some VNSAs (being non-state actorNon-state actor
Non-state actors are categorized as entities participating or acting in the sphere of international relations; organisations with sufficient power to influence and cause change in politics which are...
s) are in one way or another sponsored by the state, or by local authorities (see also state-sponsored terrorism
State-sponsored terrorism
State-sponsored terrorism is a term used to describe terrorism sponsored by nation-states. As with terrorism, the precise definition, and the identification of particular examples, are subjects of heated political dispute...
and para-militaries).
Most VNSAs however emerge in response to deficiencies, inadequacies, or shortcomings; i.e. when the state does not provide safety, security, (economic) stability and the basic public services for its citizens, or certain groups of citizens (minorities). When the state lacks legitimacy and/or capacity, others will fill the gap, take advantage, or directly confront the state. (See also Relative deprivation
Relative deprivation
Relative deprivation is the experience of being deprived of something to which one believes oneself to be entitled to have. It refers to the discontent people feel when they compare their positions to others and realize that they have less than them....
, Failed state
Failed state
The term failed state is often used by political commentators and journalists to describe a state perceived as having failed at some of the basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government...
and Fragile state
Fragile state
A fragile state is a low income country characterized by weak state capacity and/or weak state legitimacy leaving citizens vulnerable to a whole range of shocks....
.)
Motives of VNSAs can be either mainly materialistic (like the present-day Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
), or mainly political/ideological (like the ETA
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
or EZLN), or religious (like Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
), or a mix of these. In reality these distinctions are often not clear. Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
or FARC, for instance, might be viewed by their supporters as freedom fighters
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
and by their detractors as terrorists or criminal organizations.
See also
- Resistance movementResistance movementA resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
- Non-state actorNon-state actorNon-state actors are categorized as entities participating or acting in the sphere of international relations; organisations with sufficient power to influence and cause change in politics which are...
- Rule of lawRule of lawThe rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
- National securityNational securityNational security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
- Black operationBlack operationA black operation or black op is a covert operation typically involving activities that are highly clandestine and often outside of standard military protocol or even against the law.-Origins:...