Arms for sub state groups usually means interfering in the domestic affairs of another state, implicitly challenging its authority, violating its domestic law, probably. Apr 12, 2018 download a pdf version of this chapter in the full report here. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the state department and subjected to a variety of u. The interests, structure, and influence of nsas vary widely. National interests irans national interests usually dovetail with, but sometimes conflict with, irans ideology. These non state actors may be based on the foundations of religion, ethnicity, business interests, and many others, but the point which is common in them is that they. State and nonstate actors in international politics. Occasional paper understanding irans role in the syrian. One of the main reasons for a revision of the concept of public diplomacy is because it is being used by new actors.
Oct 04, 2016 iran and the gulf military balance provides a detailed summary and quantitative analysis of these trends in the balance, the potential threats iran poses and is developing, and the ongoing changes in arab gulf, u. U we must not underestimate iran, which maintains a robust cyber program, and is intent on countering the u. May 31, 2017 iran is perceived by many analysts as a serious threat to the region, but, at the same time, it must not be forgotten that the iranian politicians and military decision makers are also anxious about. Hamas are not exactly non state actors, and they can rely on their arsenals of rockets and missiles in order to deter israel, or in the event of war, to force israel to. States are the principal actorson the global stage, but nonstate actors also threaten the security environment with increasingly sophisticated capabilities. No, yemens houthis actually arent iranian puppets the. As competition for dominance intensifies, the confrontation between iran s network of state and non state actors, and a counterfront of traditional western allies centred on saudi arabia, the united arab emirates, and israel has become the regions central battle line. Devore abstract understanding the impact of state sponsorship on the decisionmaking of violent non state actors is among the more important issues to scholars of security studies. This broadening of the axisto include nonstate groups in iraq and yemenand the deepening of ties with these partnershas expanded irans influence and power projection, with three defining features. Violent nonstate actors and national and international. Click here to download the publication, a collaboration between the. Occur increasingly in complex terrain to mitigate perceived technological advantages require better cultural understandingto avoid broadening or deepening the conflict potentially contentious oes and related missions. Nonstate actors and the state the impact of nonstate actors is contextdependent, however. There is an internal debate in iran about defining a new regional and foreign policy in the aftermath of the arab spring and during the administration of united states president.
In international relations, violent non state actors vnsa, also known as non state armed actors or non state armed groups nsags, are individuals and groups that are wholly or partly independent of state governments and which threaten or use violence to achieve their goals. Role of nonstate actors in pakistan examinations point. The roles they play, and the influence they exert, depend upon political, economic, and social context. Asymmetric conflict and challenges to military transformation. The ability of individuals and groups to have a larger impact than ever beforepolitically, militarily, economically, and ideologicallyis undermining traditional institutions. This article sheds light on the converging interests between iran and russia in the middle east as well as persistent points of friction between the two countries. According to the us state department, which has listed iran as a. Non state actors may range from individuals to group of people, from ngos to mncs, from non violent pressure groups to violent militant organizations and the list goes on. This applies not only to external aggression but also to several internal separatist. State actors represent a government while non state actors do not. Draft framework of engagement with non state actors. Kristensen is director of the nuclear information project at the federation of. We need to be vigilant to the broader set of state and non. Nonstate actors and antiaccessarea denial strategies army war.
This chapter deals with iran s increasing relations with the violent non state actors vnsas in the middle east in general and during the syrian civil war in particular. Non state actors utilize similar practices to serve their ideological beliefs, to air grievances, or gain publicity behind their causes. Cyberterrorists are state sponsored and non state actors who engage in cyberattacks to pursue their objectives. While different in significant ways, we have also included nonstate actors as an operator of armed drones, as some, at least, have developed fairly sophisticated armed drones beyond the commercial offtheshelf ied type device. We focus on cyber attacks on government agencies, defense and high tech companies, or economic crimes with losses of more than a million dollars. Draft framework of engagement with nonstate actors. A case study of how state sponsorship affects terrorist group decisionmaking by marc r. This section explores the counterspace capabilities beyond those available to china, russia, iran, and north korea. The proliferation of nonstate actors in the postcold war era has been one of the factors leading to the cobweb paradigm in international politics. This encyclopedia entry analyzes the concept of non state actors, a superordinate concept that encompasses.
Comments by the islamic republic of iran general comments in order for who to fulfil its constitutional mandate and core function, the integrity and independence of the organization must be protected and. Iran as in its support of hezbollah and formerly of hamas or russia ukrainian separatists. Typically, nonstate armed groups are used by states to supplement regular armed forces. Ultimately, the new operating method of irans axis of. Occasional paper understanding irans role in the syrian conflict. How iran has developed and maintained influence over a group of mainly nonstate actors across the middle east and what in practice this influence amounts to. The first part considers how digital technologies stimulated an increasing role for non state actors in the international system, accelerating the demise of the state as primary actor of international law. The experience of war strengthened iran s ties to non state groups and transformed partner militias into regional actors. Treatment of atheists by state and non state actors query response a10099 12 june 2017 this response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to accord as well as information provided by experts within time constraints and in accordance.
According to karim sadjadpour and behnam ben taleblu, the systematic use of nonstate actors constitutes a central pillar of irans quest for. Vnsas vary widely in their goals, size, and methods. However, there is a lot of ambiguity when the concepts of nonstate military actors are taken into consideration. Besides the wars triggered to fight the terrorist menace, against alqaeda, for example, other non state military actors have also been involved in conflicts, such as hezbollah and hamas. Proxy wars in the middle east are empowering nonstate actors. While different in significant ways, we have also included non state actors as an operator of armed drones, as some, at least, have developed fairly sophisticated armed drones beyond the commercial offtheshelf ied type device. Download indexdownload assessment twitter facebook link. In fact, hezbollah has benefited in cyberspace from its ties to iran, an advantage not available to most other terrorist groups.
The feature most starkly apparent is the rise of nonstate actors, which have bolstered their presence and influence across the region, disregarding borders and. Saudis and iran using sectarian nonstate actors to shape middle east. A us miscalculation page 1 of 2 introduction in a 2008 speech, secretary gates announced an unprecedented move toward a policy of deterrence toward not only states, but to non state actors and their state sponsors. Nonstate actors in the middle east cornell law school. The question of arms transfers to non state actors 2 exclusively with other states, that legitimacy is the key to interional action and normative principles. If the assessment proves accurate, volatile cedar demonstrates a significant cyber capability by a non state actor. Mar 26, 2020 state and quasistate actors openly aligned with tehran include hamas in gaza, iraq, hezbollah in lebanon, syria, and the houthis in yemen. The isis and ypg cases this chapter deals with iran s increasing relations with the violent non state actors vnsas in. Iran claims its ideology is panislamic and nonsectarian, citing its support for sunni groups such as hamas and for sunni nonislamist groups such as the popular front for the liberation of palestinegeneral command pflpgc. He joined iiss in october 2005 after a 26year career in the united states department of state, including as deputy assistant secretary for non proliferation acting. The and effectiveness of non state actors and the public. Treatment of atheists by state and nonstate actors accord austrian centre for country of origin and asylum research and documentation. Oct 11, 2018 the experience of war strengthened irans ties to nonstate groups and transformed partner militias into regional actors.
By way of completeness, we also examine in brief those countries likely to. Violent nonstate actors in the 1953 coup in iran london 20 conference. Non state actors and nuclear weapons the majority of nuclear security experts identify two primary scenarios involving nuclear weapons and non state actors. Proliferation, nonstate actors, and the impact on global security. Significant cyber incidents center for strategic and. Moreover, there is every reason to believe that the mena conflicts will persist for some time.
This timeline records significant cyber incidents since 2006. While financial support constitutes one way that state sponsorship impacts nonstate actors calculations, the provision of weaponry constitutes another. Request pdf understanding irans approach to violent nonstate actors. Additionally, some states have even begun to hire hackers to do their bidding as a means of complicating the attribution problem further. Iraq williamson and woods 2014 or more current rivalries such as iran vs. The arab spring and the rise of nonstate actors middle.
Download the full incidents list below is a summary of incidents from over the last year. It is not an ideological battle of progres sives versus reactionaries. The unsc, as guarantor of international security and. A systems perspective is beginning to permeate doctrine. The nonstate militant landscape in syria combating. How iran has developed and maintained influence over a group of mainly nonstate actors across the middle east and what in practice this influence amounts to requires careful examination and nuance. This chapter focuses on the rise of nonstate actors in cyberwarfare and its impact on international law. The new middle east cold war goes beyond the arab world.
The result is an extraordinarily complex insurgency, trapped in a political dynamic shaped by parochial roots on the one hand and international influences on the other, but seemingly unable to develop effective national actors. This broadening of the axisto include non state groups in iraq and yemenand the deepening of ties with these partnershas expanded iran s influence and power projection, with three defining features. In doing so, it tries to look at the interplay between the isolation imposed by the international order to iran. This point to the importance of these types of military groups in contemporary political conflicts, as they are often among the most important parts in internal, regional and international disputes. Appearing to target iran, stuxnet malware attacked the. Enriching uranium highly enriched uranium heu u235, u233, and plutonium pu239 are the three main fissile. No, yemens houthis actually arent iranian puppets armed members of a houthi militia attend a parade on the eve of a planned ceasefire in sanaa, yemen, on dec. This synergy is what makes these terrorist groups so resilient in the face of the counterterrorist efforts of their main opponentsthe state and the international systemwhich are conventionally far more powerful. Rise of nonstate actors in cyberwarfare oxford scholarship. Turkey, qatar, and the nonstate actors identified with the. As a result of civil wars andor the use of military force by foreign powers, four countries in the region yemen, iraq, syria, and libya are failed or failing states that provide sanctuary for many of the most violent and resilient violent nonstate actors vnsas along with the wide assortment of criminal gangs and war profiteers. Accord austrian centre for country of origin and asylum.
In spit e of current hurdles, the trends indicate a future in which vcs could be deployed by non state actors or other organi. Many other countries and nonstate actors have developed technologies that are dualuse in nature or are directly intended as counterspace weapons. Request pdf understanding iran s approach to violent nonstate actors. Pdf this chapter investigates how economic diplomacy can be used to generate and increase economic security. Non state actors have taken on increasingly important roles in international relations. Its mission is to be an analytical, researchled global forum for informing, influencing and. However, interestingly, the saudi government which labelled the muslim brotherhood a terrorist organization has been accused of supporting.
The isis and ypg cases this chapter deals with irans increasing relations with the violent nonstate actors vnsas in. Iran relies in part on terrorist organizations, proxy groups and militant partners to protect its interests and to further its agenda of expanding influence in the middle east, a defense official. The first scenario involves the acquisition of a nuclear device from the existing arsenals of nucleararmed states by terrorists or other non state actors. World citizens may be considered nonstate actors if they are active in movements or social causes active outside their own country. Opportunities and limitations 5 second, this growth allowed for the creation of new architectures of global governance. Descriptors and analyses have tended to reflect states policy positions towards the iranian regime. U in addition, non state actors, such as criminals or terrorist groups, have access to tools like ransomware that in principle could be used to attack election operations. The following section focuses on the last of these, namely, irans ties to nonstate armed groups. The national defense strategy acknowledges an increasingly complex global security environment, characterized by overt challenges to the free and open international order and the reemergence of longterm, strategic competition between nations. State vacuums and nonstate actors in the middle east and north africa by florence gaub.
Phil williams violent non state actors and national and international security international relations and security network photograph used with the permission of reuters. To be fair, this is not the first time iran has reached a critical fork in its post. A definition of world politics involving only states as the actors has been challenged since the late 1960s and the early 1970s, since many other actors have become way more involved in the process of international political. However, interestingly, the saudi government which labelled the muslim brotherhood a terrorist organization has been accused of.
May 28, 2019 as a result of civil wars andor the use of military force by foreign powers, four countries in the region yemen, iraq, syria, and libya are failed or failing states that provide sanctuary for many of the most violent and resilient violent non state actors vnsas along with the wide assortment of criminal gangs and war profiteers. The economic impact of conflicts and the refugee crisis in. Understanding irans approach to violent nonstate actors. The lineups are less ideological and more identitybased. Regional dimensions 55 resort to violent means as happened in cases like juhayman alotaybis and osama bin ladens. Pdf proliferation, nonstate actors, and the impact on. Sokova discusses risks of nuclear weapons and materials falling into wrong hands and provides an assessment of international efforts to deny terrorists and non state actors access to these weapons and materials in her chapter in the new unidir study understanding nuclear risks. Banned by international law from legally importing armaments, most nonstate actors both depend on a narrow range of tactics and have trouble innovating. This article identifies and profiles some of the most important non state actors in syria. In international relations, nonstate actors are individuals or groups that hold influence and which are wholly or partly independent of a sovereign state or state. As a basis of comparison, the niceurasia group seminars divided the world into three categoriesweak. Traditionally, public diplomacy was carried out specifically by the.
The role of nonstate actors in arab countries after the. For example, among nsas are corporations, media organizations, business magnates, peoples liberation movements, lobby groups, religious groups, aid agencies, and violent nonstate actors such as paramilitary forces. This perspective calls for an analysis of the key systems of an adversary. Iran and the gulf military balance center for strategic and. Cyberspies are individuals who steal classified or proprietary information.
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