The Rise of Militant Non-State Actors in the Middle East: Consequences for the Statehood

Abstract

In the great power rivalries, the state employs various tactics to enforce their agenda at the regional scale. It involves conducting the intelligence based operations, limited strikes or fostering partnerships with the non-state actors. However, by forming the alliance with the non-state actors, the great powers often neglects the statehood of the parent state which results in the empowering of non-state actors. In the contemporary global order, militant non-state actors have generated a lot of attention owing to their increasingly transnational objectives. However, these non-state actors have also managed to evade the label of terrorism by integrating into the state structure of their parent states. In certain cases, where the integration was not feasible, the militant non-state actors have developed their social base through the incentives of social services. Under such circumstances, the state’s integrity is compromised which have led to the new debates of conceptualizing the role of militant non-state actors around the globe. This study would debate on these factors by limiting the focus in the Middle East and would highlight the sponsorship of foreign states in the rise of militant non-state actors.