Violent non-state actor (VNSA) 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.[1][2][3][4]
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An attribute of the nation-state was characterized by Max Weber 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".[5] 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".[6]
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." [7] 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".) [7] Terrorist organizations are sometimes an early stage of an insurgency.
Some VNSAs (being non-state actors) 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.