Warlords Rising Confronting Violent Non-State Actors

by THOMAS, TROY S.; KISER, STEPHEN D.; Casebeer, William D.

• ISBN13: 9780739111895
• ISBN10: 0739111892
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-08-09
• Publisher: Lexington Books

Summary

As non-state armed groups gain greater access to resources and networks through global interconnectivity, they have come to dominate the terrain of illegal trade in drugs, guns, and humans. Warlords Rising arms those confronting the mounting non-state challenge by delivering an innovative, interdisciplinary framework of analysis designed to improve understanding of non-state adversaries in order to affect their development and performance.

Author Biography

Troy S. Thomas is an Air Force Officer with professional experience in intelligence operations and defense policy. He is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Member of the Council for Emerging National Security Affairs Stephen D. Kiser is Commander of the 614th Space Intelligence Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base and is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Pacific Council for International Programs William D. Casebeer is a former Associate Professor at the United States Air Force Academy, and is currently at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	vii
Acknowledgments	ix
Preface	xi
1 Warlords Rising	1	(21)
2 Roots of Violence	22	(31)
3 Violent Transformations	53	(38)
4 Violent Systems	91	(30)
5 Violent Non-State Actors	121	(36)
6 Collective Violence	157	(28)
7 Countering Violent Non-State Actors	185	(29)
8 Beyond Warlords	214	(11)
Appendix: Modeling VNSA	225	(14)
Selected Bibliography	239	(6)
Index	245	(8)
About the Authors	253

Excerpts

"Violent non-state actors (VNSA) play a destabilizing role in nearly every humanitarian and political crisis faced by the international community. As non-state armed groups gain greater access to resources and networks through global interconnectivity, they have come to dominate the terrain of illegal trade in drugs, guns, and humans. Warlords Rising arms those confronting the mounting non-state challenge by delivering an innovative, interdisciplinary framework of analysis designed to improve understanding of non-state adversaries in order to affect their development and performance. Examining the utility of traditional theories of deterrence and warfighting in light of the insight gained through this interdisciplinary approach, the authors elevate the powerful role of environmental shaping in group development, recast deterrence in ecological terms, and lay out a strategy to defeat non-state adversaries if necessary. Whether the goal is preventing, coercing, or conquering, the framework of analysis presented here is designed to be universal, allowing for structured analysis across regions, types, and functions of non-state actors, and providing the decision maker and policy maker with a variety of modes and methods of intervention."--BOOK JACKET.