Professionalization of a Nonstate Actor: A Case Study of the Provisional IRA

• Published date: 01 April 2019
• Date: 01 April 2019
• DOI: 10.1177/0095327X17741832
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Professionalization of a

Nonstate Actor: A Case

Study of the Provisional IRA

Patrick Finnegan

1

Abstract

Can nonstate militants professionalize? That is the core question of this piece.

Discussions of professionalism have spread to the state military from civilian

professionssuchaseducation,medicine, and law. This piece examines whether

nonstate actors exhibit the same fundamental processes found within these

state-based organizations. These fundamentals are the creation of a recognized

internal ethos, which acts as a collective standard for those involved. A com-

mitment to expertise and the punishment of those who do not reach these

collective expectations reinforce this ethos. To answer this question, this piece

examines the development of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA)

during the Troubles. It highlights consistencies and inconsistencies with tradi-

tional forces and argues that groups like the PIRA can professionalize

and increase their effectiveness in doingso.Thiswidensthefieldofpro-

fessionalism studies and provides an additional lens through which to examine

nonstate groups.

Keywords

professionalism/leadership, cohesion/disintegration, discipline, military effectiveness,

military organization

1

University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom

Corresponding Author:

Patrick Finnegan, University of Reading, Room 305, Edith Morley Building, Reading, Berkshire RG6 6AH,

United Kingdom.

Email: p.finnegan@reading.ac.uk

Armed Forces & Society

2019, Vol. 45(2) 349-367

ªThe Author(s) 2017

Article reuse guidelines:

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DOI: 10.1177/0095327X17741832

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Introduction

This article addresses whether a nonstate actor (NSA) can professionalize.

1

This

discussion aims to demonstrate the applicability of military professionalism beyond

the state context. To answer this question, this article examines the development of

the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) through some of the lenses used by

King (2013) in The Combat Solider. This article seeks to expand these theories by

investigating whether the same processes took place elsewhere. PIRA provides an

excellent example of professionalization within an NSA that allows us to apply and

clarify theories of professionalization. The article’s analysis of PIRA also provides a

model that researchers can fruitfully apply to similar groups, both contemporary

such as Hezbollah, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), or Revolutionary

Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) and groups with historically nonstate origins

like the People’s Liberation Army.

This article has chosen PIRA as a case study because they represented a signif-

icant threat to the British state for decades due to their ability to adapt and reorganize

when facing existential crisis. PIRA’s adaptation consisted of significant downsiz-

ing, changes in structure, formalized training, specialization, and internal regulation.

It has also become practic e in the literature to refe r to PIRA as “professional”

without justification (Bloom, 2016). The findings of this piece provide a basis for

that justification. Although there are numerous factors, which contribute to profes-

sional development, such as structure, training, and various incentives, this article

focuses on the development of a professional ethos and its enforcement. Ethos is the

focus of this article, as it represents the basis of other professional attributes. The

extent to which an organization maintains a particular ethos relates directly to levels

of discipline as well as commitment and self-identity within its membership. These

factors are each important and directly relate to tactical conduct within the state and

nonstate context. It is also important to clarify that arguing a group is professional

does not equate to support for that group. As this argument is significantly different

from the normal case studies found in this journal, the following paragraphs provide

enough context to ensure the reader has sufficient understanding of the organization

in question and its origins.

Context

PIRA waged a 30-year campaign against Britain for Irish reunification, ultimately

failing. However, the rise of their related political party, Sinn Fe´in, resulted in a

power-sharing agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party, under the 1998 Good

Friday Agreement (GFA). The conflict known as the Troubles began in 1966 (Spen-

cer, 2015, p. 44) with a prostate, “loyalist,” campaign aimed at sparking suppression

of an imagined republican plot. Loyalists intended to frame republicans for several

bombings and encourage arrests. This was in response to a nationalist, rather than

republican, campaign for civil rights. This campaign sought electoral reform, fairer

350 Armed Forces & Society 45(2)