The evolving impact of violent non-state actors on North African foreign policies during the Arab Spring: insurgent groups, terrorists and foreign fighters

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ABSTRACTThis article explores the evolving foreign policy influence of three violent non-state actors – insurgent groups, terrorist organisations and foreign fighters – in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia during the Arab Spring and beyond. It draws on a unique dataset (1970–2015) compiled by the authors to explore whether countries or geographical regions experiencing various forms of political unrest, such as North Africa during the Arab Spring, exhibit greater levels of violence by violent non-state actors. North African leaders have responded to this violence by making the pursuit of national security their primary foreign policy goal. This response has led to the marginalisation of other expected benefits of the Arab Spring, including socio-economic development, human rights reforms and democratisation. North African leaders – old and new alike – have instead coordinated with regional and international partners in the pursuit of common national security-oriented foreign policy objectives, most notably counterterrorism.