Armed Groups: The 21st Century Threat

In this age of asymmetric warfare, battles are fought more and more against armed groups of opponents such as terrorists, insurgents, or transnational criminal organizations. This text is the first to categorize armed groups and analyze their characteristics in a systematic way to provide a thorough overview of all types of armed groups and the role they play in today’s security environment. Drawing on international case studies and histories, the work analyzes the objectives, strategies, and internal composition of armed groups and the environments that foster them. It demonstrates that armed groups often behave in an “hybrid” fashion, be it the criminal actions terrorists groups take to fund their goals or the role terrorist actions play in criminal organizations. As such dividing lines blur, governments need to figure out how, where, and when these armed groups are operating in zones of conflict or peace, as well as their motivations, structures, and ultimate objectives. This thorough and groundbreaking study will provide students with a strategic view of who armed groups are, how to analyze them, and what geopolitical and geostrategic factors influence their origins and operations.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction Importance of the Topic What Are “Armed Groups”? Book Objectives Armed Groups and International Relations Theory Conclusion Discussion Questions Recommended Reading Notes 2. Conflict in the Twenty-First Century Interstate Conflict Decreasing The “New War” Paradigm? Irregular Warfare Role of Geopolitical and Geostrategic Factors US Participation in Intrastate Conflicts Armed-Group Threats to the United States Discussion Questions Recommended Readings Notes 3. What Are Armed Groups? Distinguishing Between Armed Groups and State Militaries Common Armed-Group Characteristics Armed-Group Formation Challenging the “Nonstate Actor” Label Discussion Questions Organization Membership Ideology Objectives Discussion Questions Recommended Readings Notes 4. Armed-Group Archetypes Insurgents Terrorists Transnational Criminal Organizations Militias “Commercial” Armed Groups Evolution, “Hybridization,” and the Crime–Terror Nexus Discussion Questions Recommended Readings Notes 5. Internal Characteristics Leadership Organization Membership Ideology Objectives Discussion Questions Recommended Readings Notes 6. External Characteristics Strategy Tactics Strategic Communications External Support Discussion Questions Recommended Readings Notes 7. Combating Armed Groups Combating Grievances and the Environment Military, Political, Legal, and Economic Constraints on Governments General Countering Strategies Combating the Armed Group Conclusion Discussion Questions Recommended Readings Notes 8. Conclusion Armed-Group Adaptation and Evolution Future Armed-Group Threats Combating Armed Groups Three Questions Recommended Readings Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Peter G. Thompson is associate professor of international security studies at the College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University, Washington, DC.

Review :
Vital read for thinking about one of the principle agents of the new world disorder. An essential and hugely welcome guide to understanding the myriad of armed groups that now operate in an era where irregular warfare is the norm. This volume provides an interesting and insightful view of how today’s armed groups have become a real threat to the international community. Peter Thompson uses international relations theory to give a broad tour of the key aspects of modern armed groups. He not only analyzes their organization and capabilities, but also understands their role as main actors and profiteers in globalization and the manner in which they address the four fundamental issues that affect every group of this type, regardless of ideology or purpose. The author provides an academic framework and clear wording to prepare 'the student, the analyst and the policy maker to take a more rigorous approach to analyzing armed groups, with the aim of understanding the real threats the United States and others face and the way those threats manifest themselves'. This text should also be read by practitioners, since it fills in the many gaps left at the tactical level in addressing the connection between the various levels of defense management and security policy.