Introduction: The Challenge of Non-State Armed Groups

The Challenge of Community-Based Armed Groups: Towards a Conceptualization of Militias, Gangs, and Vigilantes

“…149 At the heart of this debate lies the question whether gangs do pose a direct threat to state sovereignty or not. A number of authors based at American military academies argue that gangs do ultimately aim to take control of the state through an 'evolutionary coup d' street [sic] process', in which they 'take control of turf one street or neighborhood at a time'.…”

“…9 While this basic differentiation is roughly mirrored in more recent studies, mercenaries are now regularly added as a fifth category to account for the surge in PSCs and PMCs. 10 In a few cases, however, the boundary between formal security companies and informal armed groups is blurred. In Nairobi's Kibera slum, for example, a former police officer told me that he employs members of local vigilante groups in his PSC on behalf of small businesses as a way to monitor their conduct and to prevent extortion.…”

“…between criminals, warlords, terrorists, insurgents, and mercenaries. 6 Studies using such a broad typology include cases as varied as the Islamist militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Japanese Mafia, the transnational criminal gang Mara Salvatrucha, the Irish Republican Army and the South African PMC Executive Outcomes. 7 To avoid analytical inconsistencies stemming from too broad categorizations, this study focuses on community-based armed groups (CBAGs), which are conceptualized as a subtype of the broader category of NSAGs.…”

Re-Reading Vitoria: Re-Conceptualising the Responsibility of Rebel Movements

“…distant from the reality of contemporary armed groups and the conflicts in which they engage". 116 We may even want to look beyond armed groups. Once we add up the Bhopal disaster and Agent Orange, it would seem difficult to find many contemporary rebel movements with as much blood on their hands as Monsanto.…”

From Spoilers to Statebuilders: Constructive Approaches to Engagement with Non-State Armed Groups in Fragile States

“…The resulting categorisation can provide a solid, empirical basis for developing and applying policy responses. Krause and Milliken (2009) have underlined the need to refine the frameworks, methods and approaches applied to the study of NSAGs. In addition to this recommendation there are five specific gaps in our understanding that merit further research on NSAGs and their role in conflict and fragility:…”