Irregular Armed Forces and Their Role in Politics and State Formation

Through examination of a variety of comparative and historical experiences in which irregular armed forces–ranging from militias, paramilitaries, guerrillas, bandits, mercenaries, vigilantes, and police forces to armed veteran groups have struggled against or on behalf of national states, this edited volume hopes to raise questions about the newness and political relevance of these forms of armed force, about the conditions under which irregular armed forces are more significant than conventional military personnel in supplanting or undermining states, and about the overall role of irregular armed force in national political development.