Peter G. Thompson is a Professor of International Security Studies in the College of International Security Affairs at the National Defense University in Washington, DC. He has developed and taught a wide range of International Relations and International Security courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. Peter also teaches in Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program and prior to joining the faculty at NDU taught at UCLA, Loyola Marymount University, and Michigan State University. His research has been published in Security Studies, Asian Security, and the Annual Review of Political Science.

Armed groups do not only exist in civil wars, but also have a huge influence on all aspects of contemporary international relations, politics, crime, and society. This book successfully balances between identifying core features across armed groups and an encyclopedic discussion of cases from around the world. In contrast to much research that is self-contained by narrowing in only on insurgents, terrorists, militias, commercial security actors, etc., Thompson shows that it is possible and beneficial for our understanding of political violence to focus on armed groups as the key analytical concept. This volume is an essential resource for anyone interested in international relations and current affairs including students, academics, specialists, and more general readership.

• 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 QuestionsOrganization 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 Notes6. 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 ThreatsCombating Armed Groups Three QuestionsRecommended Readings Notes

Peter G. Thompson is a Professor of International Security Studies in the College of International Security Affairs at the National Defense University in Washington, DC. He has developed and taught a wide range of International Relations and International Security courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. Peter also teaches in Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program and prior to joining the faculty at NDU taught at UCLA, Loyola Marymount University, and Michigan State University. His research has been published in Security Studies, Asian Security, and the Annual Review of Political Science.

Armed groups do not only exist in civil wars, but also have a huge influence on all aspects of contemporary international relations, politics, crime, and society. This book successfully balances between identifying core features across armed groups and an encyclopedic discussion of cases from around the world. In contrast to much research that is self-contained by narrowing in only on insurgents, terrorists, militias, commercial security actors, etc., Thompson shows that it is possible and beneficial for our understanding of political violence to focus on armed groups as the key analytical concept. This volume is an essential resource for anyone interested in international relations and current affairs including students, academics, specialists, and more general readership.

• 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 QuestionsOrganization 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 Notes6. 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 ThreatsCombating Armed Groups Three QuestionsRecommended Readings Notes

Peter G. Thompson is a Professor of International Security Studies in the College of International Security Affairs at the National Defense University in Washington, DC. He has developed and taught a wide range of International Relations and International Security courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. Peter also teaches in Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program and prior to joining the faculty at NDU taught at UCLA, Loyola Marymount University, and Michigan State University. His research has been published in Security Studies, Asian Security, and the Annual Review of Political Science.

Armed groups do not only exist in civil wars, but also have a huge influence on all aspects of contemporary international relations, politics, crime, and society. This book successfully balances between identifying core features across armed groups and an encyclopedic discussion of cases from around the world. In contrast to much research that is self-contained by narrowing in only on insurgents, terrorists, militias, commercial security actors, etc., Thompson shows that it is possible and beneficial for our understanding of political violence to focus on armed groups as the key analytical concept. This volume is an essential resource for anyone interested in international relations and current affairs including students, academics, specialists, and more general readership.

• 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 QuestionsOrganization 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 Notes6. 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 ThreatsCombating Armed Groups Three QuestionsRecommended Readings Notes