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Research on Non-State Actors
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Learn to research armed groups, multinational corporations, and transnational movements that operate outside state structures but shape international outcomes.
The United Nations is a system built by and for states, but the crises it addresses increasingly involve actors that are not states. Armed groups control territory in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Mali, and the eastern DRC. Multinational corporations like Shell, ExxonMobil, and Glencore have economic footprints larger than many UN member states. Transnational criminal networks move billions in drugs, weapons, and human trafficking across borders. Terrorist organizations, private military companies, and transnational activist movements all shape the security and development landscape that UN committees debate.
MUN delegates who only research state positions miss half the picture. When the Security Council debates the situation in Yemen, the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) is a central actor even though it has no UN seat. When a committee discusses corporate accountability and human rights, the behavior of specific multinational corporations is the subject under discussion. When DISEC debates small arms and light weapons, the demand side — armed groups and criminal networks — is as important as the supply side of state-to-state transfers.
Researching non-state actors is harder than researching states because the data is less systematic, the actors are less transparent, and the information landscape includes more propaganda and misinformation. But the payoff is enormous: delegates who can speak knowledgeably about specific non-state actors demonstrate a depth of understanding that impresses chairs and intimidates less-prepared opponents.
Armed groups rarely operate in isolation. They have state sponsors, transnational funding networks, and complex relationships with local populations. Mapping these connections is critical for understanding any conflict you might debate in a Security Council or DISEC simulation.
Start with the UN Panel of Experts reports. The Security Council establishes panels of experts for each sanctions regime, and these panels produce detailed annual reports documenting arms flows, financial networks, and violations. The Panel of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, has documented in meticulous detail how armed groups in eastern DRC are financed through illegal mining of coltan, gold, and tin — minerals that ultimately end up in consumer electronics worldwide.
State sponsorship of armed groups is one of the most sensitive topics in international diplomacy. Iran's support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis is extensively documented but officially denied. Saudi Arabia and the UAE's involvement in Yemen operates through shifting alliances with local forces. Understanding these relationships — and knowing which ones are publicly acknowledged versus officially denied — is essential for navigating committee politics. Accusing a country of sponsoring terrorism requires careful sourcing; UN Panel of Experts reports and Security Council documents are the most diplomatically appropriate citations.
Multinational corporations are increasingly subjects of UN attention, particularly through the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (the Ruggie Principles) and the ongoing negotiations for a binding treaty on business and human rights. Research on corporate actors focuses on their supply chain practices, environmental impacts, tax arrangements, and relationships with governments.
Private military companies (PMCs) like the Wagner Group (now Africa Corps under Russian military intelligence) operate in multiple conflict zones — Central African Republic, Mali, Libya, Sudan — and represent a form of state power projection that blurs the line between state and non-state action. When Wagner forces are documented committing atrocities in Mali, the question of Russian state responsibility becomes a live issue in committee.
Transnational criminal networks are relevant whenever committees discuss drug policy, human trafficking, cybercrime, or corruption. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) publishes comprehensive reports on these networks, including estimated financial flows and geographic patterns. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime provides accessible policy analysis that translates complex criminal dynamics into the language of international policy debate.
