Non-state Actors in the International System: How Do We Recognize the Bad Guys?

Non-state actors represent equal partners, viable competitors, and/or serious enemies in the current international system. Their specific position depends on how their behaviour in the system is perceived by states, international organizations, and civil society. The behaviour itself can be positive or negative. However, a closer look at the field of non-state actors will show that it is not easy to identify who the good and bad guys among them are. This is due to the fact that we are not living in a black-and-white world, or a black -and-white international system. For this reason, this study has the ambition to present a new approach to identifying bad guys, i.e., negative non-state actors in the international system.