Non-State Order and Security

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 2 presents a theoretical framework to systematically trace how interactions among violent non-state groups influence people’s security. The first part theorizes behavioral patterns among violent non-state groups as forms of non-state order. It offers a typology of violent non-state group interactions with eight types that fall into three clusters: the “enmity” cluster, in which groups fight each other; the “rivalry” cluster, involving unstable short-term arrangements among groups with unpredictable outbreaks of violence; and the “friendship” cluster that consists of relatively stable long-term arrangements. These clusters emerge from distinct distrust-reducing mechanisms employed by the groups. The second part of the chapter introduces the analytical lens of citizen security. This lens accounts for both observed and perceived insecurity, and for repercussions of these on the state-society relationship. It highlights why and how specific violent non-state group interactions are conducive to distinct security outcomes, including violence, the erosion of social fabric, and shadow citizenship.