The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies Strategic Studies Unit organised a conference on "Militias and Armies: Developments in Combat and Political Performance of Armed Non-State and State Actors" in Doha on 22-24 February 2020.

The conference discussed academic approaches to the military and political rise of armed organisations 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?

Omar Ashour, Director of the Strategic Studies Unit at the Arab Center, presented the opening speech of the conference and gave a lecture on the military rise of armed organisations, citing the Islamic State as an example. He provided a general theoretical framework for the conference sessions and the intellectual and methodological questions related to the rise of both armed non state actors and state supported armed actors. He also focused on the causes, conditions and results of the development of the combat capacities and military effectiveness of armed non-state actors and the impact of this on the balance of power.

Larry Goodson, Professor of Middle East Studies at the US Army War College, followed with his keynote lecture on "The First Great War of the 21st Century: Hybrid Warfare from Syria to the South China Sea". He argued that the United States, Russia, and China are now engaged in the first global war of the 21st century, which will lead to rise of China and decline of the US. China and Russia use the strategy of hybrid warfare, which Goodson defines as the use of all instruments, elements, determinants of power in coordinated, comprehensive and holistic ways (including violence or threat) to achieve national ends. The changing character of war has led to the rise of hybrid warfare and the introduction of new "domains" of war such as space and cyberspace to the traditional domains of land, air and sea. Goodson also made clear that the concept of hybrid warfare is not new and was laid out in the writings of Sun Tzu and Chanakya Kautilya, providing a history of the theoretical approaches to hybrid warfare.

The conference sessions lasted for three days, covering topics such as 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. The papers included approximately 30 case studies of armed movements from 20 countries.

Dr Ashour concluded by thanking all the parties involved in putting the conference together, including organizers, participants and attendees, as well as the ACRPS general director Azmi Bishara. He noted that the papers presented would be published in two peer reviewed books, along with a policy report including summaries of proceedings, analysis and recommendations. He also alluded to upcoming national and regional security challenges and Arab graduate students' conferences at the ACRPS and encouraged continued interaction within the research community.