nonstate actor

Definitions

An organization or other group whose behavior significantly affects political, economic, or strategic interactions between countries or major events within a country, but that is not itself a recognized country or a representative of a recognized country.

Examples

“Nobody's particularly optimistic that the Afghan civil war that began almost a decade ago is going to end⟳ any time soon. […] [T]his is a new type⟳ of war against a non-state actor, in which the definitions, strategies and yardsticks of all previous conflicts no longer apply⟳.”

““It wasn't until after Sept. 11 that most of us realized that for the first time in human history,” Mr. Blacker said, “a nonstate actor, a group of religious extremists at the very bottom of the international system, had the capability to inflict devastating damage⟳ on the very pinnacle of the international system.””

“The threats represented by violent nonstate actors are as old as the earliest states. Bandits, raiders, and pirates have⟳ plagued civilized peoples around the globe for millennia.”

“[T]he Global Terrorism Database (GTD) […] defines terrorism as “the threatened or actual use⟳ of illegal force⟳ and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation.””

CEFR level