ISSUE OF NON-STATE ACTORS

The concept of Non-state actor is a recent political development, which has, so far, eluded a concise definition. There are no treaties or conventions that have tried to define this concept so far. However, a non-state actor could be loosely described as some one who is refusing to accept the authority of a state; one who thinks that he is not bound by the laws of the state or any international treaties the state has ratified. But this description is not enough, and concerted efforts are needed to actually define this term. The reason it is not easy to define this concept is that it is an evolving concept, and every effort to define it would become obsolete sooner than later; further a non-state actor may have varying identities: he could be some one who is a national of the state, or some one who is not a national and is only using the territories of a state for his wrongful acts; or he could be an official working for the state who has transferred an official document to an unauthorized person or an ordinary person trying to blow up a bomb.