TYPOLOGY OF COUNTERING NON-STATE ARMED ACTORS

Abstract

In the security setup of today's world, the non-state armed actors (NSAAs) have become a prevailing force in the conflict, alarm for a workable and joint set of actions for their annihilation. Unlike usual wars between states, the present dangers are more of a carry-over type that involves military, information, legal, humanitarian, and cyber warfare aspects. The paper aims to establish a working system of definitions for tactics to stop NSAAs and to explain their application in global practice, focusing on the interplay of various tools. This study presents a novel class of six strategic models, namely military, legal, informational, humanitarian, cyber-intelligence, and hybrid. Each model is backed up with international examples. The military model is corroborated by the fight against ISIS and Ukrainian support operations; the legal model captures the representation of international courts and procedures; the informational model is characterized by the counter-propaganda of ISIS through Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the humanitarian model is showcased by the provision of aid to people in Syria, Afghanistan, and African countries, and the cyber-intelligence model is focused on the tracking of the terrorists' communications like the “Glowing Symphony” which is a Pentagon operation; and the hybrid model combines all possible instruments to have a tactical, as demonstrated in the use of joint forces against the Taliban or the case of the complex response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine. It is discovered from the results that no single model is good for all conditions and no one model is complete. The most productive course is the hybrid one, that is adaptable depending on complex issues of contemporary threats. The degree of success of the NSAA countermeasures is measured by the effectiveness of international cooperation, harmonizing political, military, and humanitarian intervention, and the ability to touch upon the peculiarities of each conflict in the area. Ultimately, the investigation underscores that, to prevent NSAA counter-strategies, we definitely need a multilevel approach between the state, international organizations, business, and the common people. Since the nature of conflicts that more often than not move beyond the traditional ways of war, the hybrid model that addresses both the safety, and socio-humanitarian issues is more optimistic as the way of developing a security policy to continue to be sustainable.