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Non-State Armed Groups and the Changing Landscape of Warfare Non-state armed groups have emerged in recent years as a matter of pressing importance for a number of diverse audiences, due to the growing interactions between state and non-state entities at the local, regional, and international level. State and non-state actors are increasingly engaging in asymmetrical methods of warfare. Transnational support networks have enabled these conflicts, which have, at times, violated international law and incorporated elements of terrorism.The resources on this portal outline the current and future nature of armed conflict between states and transnational non-state armed groups. |
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Asymmetrical Warfare
Asymmetrical warfare is a type of armed conflict pitting two groups of differing capabilities and in which one group seeks to exploit the weaknesses of another group, often using unconventional methods, to achieve a strategic or psychological parity or victory against their opponent. The term ‘asymmetrical,’ originally meant to describe actors and their disparities, refers increasingly to the disproportionate effects brought about during complex warfare by parties using minimal resources for maximum impact.
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Asymmetrical Warfare
Oil capture spotlights Somali pirates' reach |
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Transnationality
In response to the challenges and opportunities of globalization, there has been a proliferation of non-state organizations, networks, and movements that transcend traditional structures of nation-states in terms of their design, organization, and operation. Such transnational behavior is a key characteristic of those non-state armed groups that are able to challenge the authority of states and international law by operating outside the framework of long-standing laws of war and peace. |
Transnationality
Terrorism in India and the Global Jihad The Implications of the Mumbai Attacks for Afghanistan Latin American Narco-Dollars Financing Hezbollah’s Growing Establishment The Threat of Jihadist Terrorism in Germany India and Pakistan Address Terrorism Issues as Relations Deteriorate |
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Terrorism
Due to its inherent political and subjective nature, there is yet no globally accepted formal definition of terrorism, nor does international law provide one. While the United Nations have put forth a definition and many national governments have their own official definitions of “terrorism,” these vary greatly. Terrorism has been described as a phenomenon, a tactic, a strategy, the peacetime equivalent of a war crime, a political judgment, and a challenge to a sociopolitical status quo. There is general consensus that terrorism involves the use of or threat of violence against civilians for the purpose of creating fear amongst a wider audience and to influence the behavior of a government or organization.
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Terrorism
Marrying Prevention and Resiliency: Balancing Approaches to an Uncertain Terrorist Threat |