Violent Non-State Actor [VNSA] Law and Legal Definition
Violent non-state actor (VNSA) refers to any organization or armed groups that adopt illegal violence to attain its goals, thereby challenging the monopoly on violence of the state. The reason for the origin of VNSA can be attributed to the deficiencies, inadequacies, or shortcomings in the state. For instance, when the state does not provide safety, security, economic stability and the basic public services for its citizens, or certain groups of citizens, VNSA emerges. The term has been used in several papers published by the United States military. Motives of VNSAs can be either mainly materialistic, or political or ideological, or religious, or a mix of these. Mafia, ETA or EZLN, Al-Qaeda, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena are examples of VNSAs.
