„The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”: Terrorists and NGOs in Modern Armed Conflicts

Abstract

The article aims at analyzing the roles played by the so-called non-state actors (NSAs) in modern armed conflicts. The analysis covered the activities of two classes of entities, i.e. terrorist groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in order to verify the distorted, overly simplified picture of these entities that prevails in colloquial perception. The study suggests that, contrary to popular assumptions, one cannot assign exclusively „good” or „bad” labels to either of these classes. Terrorist groups and NGOs can play a variety of roles during and after armed conflict, and what is more, their actions may be perceived and evaluated differently by different parties to a conflict.