Armed Non-State Actors and State Failure: Failing International Law or Failure of International Law
Abstract
Armed Non-State actors are groups involved in the use of force against states or within themselves under several
guises including the right to self-determination. The activities of such groups have over the years led to the
failure of several states across the globe, which on the other hand results in dire human and material
consequences. As a result, the question has often been asked as to why such armed non-state actors thrive
especially in the 21st century, notwithstanding the prominence of international law. Is it that international law has failed in regulating such groups, or that the regulation has in it some inherent weaknesses which encourage their proliferation. This paper examines the role of non-state actors in state failure with reference to a few selected cases, to see how activities presented as emancipatory lead to human devastation. It also explores the international legal regime on non-state actors with a view to see if it encourages the emergence of violent
groups in the form of national liberation movements. Using doctrinal methodology, the paper analyses both
primary and secondary sources of data, relevant literature, and case law on the topic. It finds that the
proliferation of the activities of these groups who destroy the essence of statehood, may not be unconnected with
the contemporary reality of the legal regime in international law.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Bassiouni, M. C. (2002). International Terrorism: a Compilation of UN Documents 1972-2001. (M. C. Bassiouni, Ed.). New York: Transnational publishers.
BBC NEWS. (2012). Guide: Syria Crisis. Retrieved June 7, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-13855203 (accessed 07/06/2017)
Bellal, A., Giacca, G., & Casey-Maslen, S. (2011). International law and armed non-state actors in Afghanistan. International Review of the Red Cross, 93(881), 47–79. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1816383111000051
Brent, M. (2009). Responding to Attacks by Non-State Actors : The Attribution Requirement of Self-Defence. Austl. Int’l L.J., 16(October), 133–159.
Cassese, A. (2005). International Law (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chengu, G. (2014). How The US Helped Create Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Retrieved from https:www.counterpunch.org (Accessed 10/11/2017)
Clapham, A. (2006). Human rights obligations of non-state actors. Oxford: OUP Oxford.
Clapham, A. (2010). The Rights and Responsibilities of Armed Non-State Actors: The Legal Landscape & Issues Surrounding Engagement. SSRN Electronic Journal1569636, (February), Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=156963. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1569636 (Accessed 12/10/2017)
Crowford, J. (2008). Brownlie’s Principles of Public International Law (8th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dube, B., & Manatsa, P. (2013). Failed State Discourse under International Law : the Place , Attributes and Implications. International Journal of Politics and Good Governance, 4(4), 1–23.
Edwards, H. (2017). Does International Law Apply to the Islamic State? Geneva Centre for Security Policy, (1), 1–11. Retrieved from http://www.gcsp.ch/download/6501/152083 (Accessed 6/09/2017)
Hanifi, M. J. (2009). Causes and Consequences of the Destabilization of Afghanistan,. In Afghanistan, 1979-2009: In the Grip of Conflict (Viewpoints). Washington, DC: The Middle East Institute.
Jackson, R. H. (1998). Surrogate Sovereignty ? Great Power Responsibility and “ Failed States ” (No. 25). Vancouver.
Jakobi, A. P. (2010). Non-State Violence and Political Order: A View on Long-Term Consequences of Non-state Security Governance (No. 4). Frankfurt.
Jones, S. G., Liepman, A. M., & Chandler, N. (2016). Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency in Somalia. Santa Monica, California. Retrieved from www.rand.org/t/RR1539%0ALibrary (Accessed 19/09/2017)
Messner, J. J., & Haken, N. (2016). Fragile States Index 2016. Washington, D.C. Retrieved from www.fundforpeace.org (Accessed 2/8/2017)
Miakhel, S. (2009). Repeating History: Parallels between Mujahidin Tactics and Afghanistan’s Current Insurgency. In Afghanistan, 1979-2009: In the Grip of Conflict (9th ed., p. 56). Washington, D.C: The Middle East Institute. Retrieved from http//www.mei.edu (Accessed 2/11/2017)
Moreno Torres, M., & Anderson, M. (2004). Fragile states: defining difficult environments for poverty reduction. PRDE Working Paper, (1). Retrieved from http://www.ineesite.org/uploads/files/resources/doc_1_FS Diff_environ_for_pov_reduc.pdf (Accessed 03/07/2017)
National Geographic. (2017). Myanmar’s Rohingya Are in Crisis—What You Need to Know. Retrieved November 2, 2017, from www.nationalgeographic.com/contributors/g/sara-gibbins.html (Accessed 2/11/2017)
Nijman, J. E. . (2010). Non-state actors and the international rule of law : Revisiting the “ realist theory ” of international legal personality (Research Paper Series) (Vol. 2010). Amsterdam. Retrieved from www.jur.uva.nl/acil (accessed 7/08/2017)
Olson, W. J. (1993). The New World Disorder: Governability and Development. In M. G. Manwaring (Ed.), Gray Area Phenomena: Confronting New World Disorder (1st ed.). Boulder: Westview Press.
Paust, J. J. (2010). Non-State Actor Participation in International Law and The Pretense of Exclusion. Virginia Journal of International Law, 51(4), 977.
Potter, D. W. (2004). State Responsibility , Sovereignty , and Failed States. In Australasian Political Studies Association Conference (pp. 1–16). University of Adelaide 29 September - 1 October.
Ranjeva, R. (1991). Peoples and national liberation movements. International Law: Achievements and Prospects, 101–112.
Rice, S. E., & Partrick, S. (2008). Index of State Weakness in the Developing World. Washington D C.
Roberts, A., & Sivakumaran, S. (2012a). Lawmaking by Nonstate Actors: Engaging Armed Groups in the Creation of International Humanitarian Law. Yale J. Int’l L., 37(1), 107–152. Retrieved from http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/42752/ (Accessed 15/09/2017)
Roberts, A., & Sivakumaran, S. (2012b). Lawmaking by Nonstate Actors: Engaging Armed Groups in the Creation of International Humanitarian Law. Yale J. Int’l L., 37(1), 107–152.
Rothberg, R. I. (2002). The New Nature of Nation-State Failure. The Washington Quarterly, 25(3), 85–96.
Shaw, M. N. (2008). International law (6th ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Stilz, A. (2015). Decolonization and Self-Determination. Social Philosophy and Policy, 32(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0265052515000059 (Accessed 07/10/2017)
Syrian Network for Human Rights. (2017). The 6th Anniversary of the Breakout of the Popular Uprising towards Freedom, and the Killing of the First Civilians”. United Kingdom. Retrieved from www.sn4hr.org (Accessed 8/6/2017)
Szuhai, I. (2015). Rethinking the concept of failed state. Central European Papers, III(2), 99–110.
Talmon, S. (2011). Recognition of the Libyan National Transitional Council. ASIL Insights, 15(16). Retrieved from https://www.asil.org/insights (Accessed 10/11/2017)
Talmon, S. (2013). Recognition of Opposition Groups as the Legitimate Representative of a People. Chinese Journal of International Law, 12(2), 219–253. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/chinesejil/jmt014 (Accessed 23/10/2017)
UNHCR. (2017). supplementary Appeal: Nigeria Situation.
United Nations. Charter of the United Nations (1945). San Francisco: www.un.org/en/documents. Retrieved from www.un.org/en/charter-united-nations/ (Accessed 23/10/2017)
Weiss, T. G., Seyle, D. C., & Coolidge, K. (2013). The Rise of Non-State Actors in Global Governance (Vol. 4). Broomfield, Colorado. Retrieved from www.oneearthfuture.org.(Accessed 7/08/2017)
World Bank. (2005). Conflict in Somalia: Drivers and Dynamics. World Bank. Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTSOMALIA/Resources/conflictinsomalia.pdf (Accessed 02/11/2017)
Young, R. (2006). Defining Terrorism: The Evolution of Terrorism as a Legal Concept in International Law and its Influence on Definitions in Domestic Legislation. Boston College International & Comparative Law Review, 29(1), 23–106.
Zarei, M. H., & Safari, A. (2015). The Status of Non-State Actors under the International Rule of Law: A Search for Global Justice. Rethinking International Law and Justice, 233–252.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.