The proliferation of militias requires a pan-regional strategy

Non-state actors have risen to political prominence at an alarming rate since the Arab Spring. Combatting these groups is vital to achieving regional security and stability. Our future depends on it.

AFP

Iraqi Shiite fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitaries advance in a desert area near the village of Tall Abtah, southwest of Mosul, on November 28, 2016.

The proliferation of militias requires a pan-regional strategy

Zaidoun Al-Zoubi

last update on 06 Mar 2024

Regional turmoil and the proliferation of militias have weakened efforts to strengthen national identities in the Middle East.

A survey of the region paints a grim picture.

Egypt is surrounded by turmoil from Sudan in the south to Libya in the west and Gaza in the east. Jordan is also struggling on multiple fronts.

To the north, it faces war with organised drug smuggling groups and, to the west, it faces Israel’s war of aggression on Gaza. In Iraq, militias run rampant and continue to marginalise state authority.

The proliferation of militias marks a profound transformation in the region's political landscape and is one of the most important consequences of the wave of change sweeping the region and the broader world.

In October alone, there were many examples of this. Apart from Israel's war on Gaza, the PKK carried out an attack in the heart of Ankara. Then, there was a devastating attack on the military college in Homs, Syria, carried out by the Turkestan Islamic Party.

The New York Times — A number of Iranian-affiliated militias in Syria are conducting training in Hezbollah camps.

In January, the Islamic State (IS) reportedly claimed responsibility for 34 attacks in Syria alone, including the multiple deaths of the tragic assault in Kerman.

In Yemen, the Houthis are majorly disrupting maritime traffic in the Red Sea, as the US, Britain, and Europe are also operating there to counter the attacks.

And to the west, in Sudan, the Rapid Support Forces are engaged in civil war, while Libya is home to disparate militias representing a grave national security challenge.

In a region dotted with militias with foreign agendas, achieving national stability and development is becoming increasingly difficult.

It seems these non-state actors are learning from each other while also acquiring the weaponry and technology to inflict significant harm in their attacks.

The decline of the nation-state

For a long period, nation-states were the dominant force in the Middle East, complete with powerful military and security institutions.

Non-state actors are learning from each other while also acquiring the weaponry and technology to inflict significant harm in their attacks.

Militia groups had little choice but to engage with nations. Hamas participated in elections, and Hezbollah ran in the parliamentary elections.

Over time, such groups began to feel that they were becoming stronger than some of the parties in government or had the ability to overtake them. The state started to look more like an obstacle to their ambitions rather than a means towards them.

Then came the Arab Spring, which created a wave of instability. Economic disparities, identity politics, oppression, and regional and foreign intervention bolstered militias.

This intervention not only strengthened militias' capabilities but also turned them into proxies for carrying out other states' foreign agendas. They have gotten so strong that, in some cases, they even pose a threat to the states supporting them.

Read more: Libya's armed group Catch-22

In Iraq and Syria for example, state armies are not only struggling to maintain order, but are also behaving like militias themselves. Irregular activities include drug smuggling and assassinations.

Weapons and drugs seized by the Jordanian army in the December 18 operation.

The Middle East's unique amalgamation of active and dormant conflicts, coupled with foreign influence, has created a fertile ground for the proliferation of non-state actors. If the region continues along this trajectory, militias will further mushroom.

Because every militia in the region has its own unique characteristics and objectives — from IS and Hezbollah to Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Houthis — each group must be dealt with differently.

Innovative approaches

This new grim reality demands innovative diplomatic approaches and strategies to address the multifaceted challenges presented. A unified pan-regional strategy is necessary to reassert state control.

Government agencies and the international community must devise strategies that incorporate these entities into a viable and peaceful regional framework.

Achieving this integration will require a blend of comprehensive solutions, ranging from military intervention, as seen in the confrontation with IS, to stepped-up diplomacy.

A thorough understanding of them – and engagement with them – are indispensable components of any holistic strategy for long-term stability and peace in the region.

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