Mapping non-state actors in international relations

Intro -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- List of Tables -- About the Authors -- Abbreviations -- Chapter 1: Conceptualising Non-State Actors in International Relations -- Introduction -- The Agency of NSAs: Towards a Definition -- NSAs as Entities in their Own Right -- Conceptual Clarification -- The Role of NSAs in IR: A Critique -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 2: The Power and Impact of Institutions on International Relations: From Intergovernmental to Non-governmental Organisations -- Debating International Institutions -- From the Intergovernmental to the Non-governmental World -- The Roles of Institutions in the Global Humanitarian System -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 3: Irregular Militaries and Militias in International Relations: The Case of Iraqi Shiite Militias -- Historical Context of Militias in the Arab World -- Wala'iya (ولاءية) -- Marja'iya (مرجعية) -- Sadrists (صدرية) -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 4: Dilemmas of Fundamentalist Non-state Actors in International Relations -- Introduction -- Conceptual Properties and Definitional Limits -- A More Robust Account of Strategic Rationales -- Case Study 1: The Provisional IRA: A Forty-Year Road from Fundamentalism to Compromise -- Case Study 2: The Bosnian Serb Army and the Strategic Consequences of Fundamentalism -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 5: The Impact of Ethnic Groups on International Relations -- Introduction -- Taking Groups for Granted -- Ethnic Identity -- Theorizing Ethnicity in IR -- Primordial Hatreds -- The Rationalist Approach -- Instrumentalism -- Constructivism -- Ethnic Conflict -- The Internationalization of Conflicts -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 6: States-to-be as Foreign Policy Actors -- Introduction -- The Case of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) -- The Case of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).

This edited volume addresses the role of non-state actors (NSAs) in international relations. From their emergence in the early 20th century, entities of non-state status have played a role of increasing prominence in international politics. Scholarly work has been slow to catch up, approaching NSAs mainly through the scope of legitimacy and international law or limiting focus to NGOs, international organizations, and economic corporations. This volume remedies that, creating a typology of NSAs based on systematic and coherent analysis. Presenting a series of cases of NSAs across the continuum of international relations, the chapters firmly ground NSAs in the ontology of international relations theory. Filling a gap in the current literature, this book will be of interest to students and researchers of international relations theory, international politics, international security, diplomatic history, and European and Middle East politics, as well as policy-makers and practitioners.