In the last few decades, most countries of the world are facing the problem of weak statehood and the loss of a monopoly on violence, which is being exploited by non-state actors, including the militia. As militias are becoming increasingly important in the security environment, in this thesis I have addressed the issue of their influence on this environment. This thesis is divided into three parts: in the first part I addressed the definition and characteristics of militias, in the second part I identified the reasons for the emergence of militias and their relationship with the state and discussed the dynamics of militias, its origin, recruits, impact on conflict, violence against civilians, and the post-war dynamics. In the third part, I discussed in more detail the activities of the militia in Afghanistan, Mexico, Indonesia and Libya. The findings were that militias emerge mainly in weak countries that do not have a monopoly on the use of force. Militias can be useful to the state in fighting the state’s opponents, but if they become too powerful, they will begin to undermine its authority. Militias are quite useful in the fight against guerrillas and rebels, as they know the local environment and its inhabitants. States often rely on militias to project their authority in sparsely populated and hard-to-reach places that are difficult for the authorities to cover.
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