Non-State Armed Groups

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 often with transnational support networks.The resources on this portal outline the current and future nature of armed conflict between states and transnational and non-state armed groups.



Non-State Armed Groups and International Law

The ascendancy of non-state armed groups alongside state actors represents a core challenge in terms of international law, both for international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL). This rise is also a policy-making challenge for international agencies and governments, which under the Westphalian system maintain near-exclusive legitimacy as the bearers of rights and obligations under international law.

State Response to the Challenge of Non-State Armed Groups

International humanitarian law (IHL), specifically the Geneva Conventions and their protocols, are facing increasing challenges of application and enforcement. As an institution created to preserve sovereignty, international peace and security, by and for states at a time when global power rested politically with these actors, the rise of transnational and non-state armed groups challenges the relevance of IHL as a normative model of law representing (protecting and giving rights to) global society. As a tool to protect civilian populations during armed conflicts by requiring the distinction between civilians and combatants, and proportionate uses of force, IHL is challenged by the increasing use of asymmetrical warfare both by state and non-state actors, which blurs the lines of distinction and proportionality.