Militias and Armies Conference

On 22 February 2020, the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies will launch its three-day conference “Militias and Armies: Developments in Combat and Political Performance of Armed Non-State and State Actors” at its headquarters in Doha, Qatar.

The conference will consider armed groups both loyal and opposed to regimes, hybrid warfare, foreign intervention (armed organizations allied with a state or states), the dynamics of transformation from irregular militia to organized army and vice versa (organized army to militia) and the development of sub-state organizations’ tactical and operational capabilities. Its sessions will cover approximately 30 case studies of armed movements from 20 countries.

The conference will present academic approaches to the military and political rise of armed organizations by attempting to answer a series of research questions of global relevance. How did such a revolution in combat performances and political roles happen? Why did it happen? What are the strategic implications of such a trend? How will this trend affect armed state actors and hybrid warfare in the region and beyond? And what are the implications for stability, reforms, and democratization in the region?

Please find the conference booklet here.