Post-Arab Spring: The Arab World between the Dilemma of the Nation-State and the Rise of Violent Non-State Actors (VNSAs)

Abstract

The Arab world has witnessed two interrelated phenomena after the Arab Spring. The first is the aggravation of the crisis of the nation-state, where many states experienced failure and disintegration, such as Libya, Syria and Yemen, while many other states continued to suffer from weakness. The second is the rise of violent non-state actors (VNSAS) such as terrorist jihadi organisations, warlords, organised crime syndicates and armed militias affiliated with political parties, tribal, ethnic and sectarian groups. The second phenomenon is a natural outcome of the first one. When the state fails, it becomes unable to monopolise the use of force, impose its control over its territory and secure it borders. These conditions create a security and political vacuum and ungoverned spaces, which are considered a suitable environment for the expansion of VNSAs. Currently, in many Arab states, the role of VNSAs makes state-building and peacemaking efforts more difficult and complicated. This article aims to analyse the causes of the crisis of nation-state building in the Arab world, which explains the failure and collapse of many Arab states once the authoritarian regimes that have governed them for decades collapsed. Also, it discusses the types of VNSAs and the reasons behind the expansion of these actors and the escalation of their roles in many Arab countries, particularly in the post-Arab Spring era. Additionally, the future of VNSAS will be examined.