2025/08/28 by Dina Al Raffie · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Intelligence, Security, War Strategy #International Law and Human Rights #Military History and Strategy
paper · doi:10.1080/02684527.2025.2548157
openalex publication_date 2025/08/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
Interest in the intelligence operations of nonstate armed groups (NSAGs) has grown over the past decade, yet research to date focuses primarily on the intelligence conduct of single groups or group types and remains relatively theoretically underdeveloped. This paper advances research on the subject through utilising a thematic analysis approach to comprehensively review and comparatively analyse extant literature on the subject. It identifies commonalities in intelligence conduct across different group types as well as key factors influencing and differentiating the intelligence operations and capabilities of NSAGs. In doing so, the paper further develops the theoretical baseline for understanding NSAG intelligence and highlights enduring research gaps and conceptual ambiguities that make for fruitful future research on the subject.