FEAS RESEARCH E-BULLETIN FEAS RESEARCH E-BULLETIN DECEMBER 2017 | Page 5
Author: Akkaya, Saffet
Title: US Foreign Policy and Violent Non-State Actors in the 2000s Cases of HAMAS And GAM
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür Küçükkaya
Department: International Relations
Date: August 2017
Abstract: The Violent Non-State Actors (VNSA) play a substantial role in post-Cold War
international relations. They influence the social, political and security environment at regional and
international context. In this thesis, two Islamist VNSAs with similar specifications; HAMAS of the
Middle East and GAM of the Southeast Asia have been studied. The purpose is to investigate the
reasons why did the US actively pursued a conciliatory/inclusive approach towards GAM (Gerakan
Acheh Merdaka/Free Acheh Movement in Indonesia) but not towards HAMAS (Harakat al-
Muqawama al-Islamiya/The Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine)? The conclusion is that the
US foreign policy has come up with two different solutions in Palestine and Acheh conflicts; while
GAM has been persuaded to end violence and transit into a peaceful political organization in
Indonesian political system, HAMAS has not been so far. The factor which affects these two
conflicts is the complex interaction amongst the US, the VNSAs (HAMAS and GAM) and the Parent
states (Israel and Indonesia). In this complex interaction, the core element is the nature of the
relations between the US administration and the Parent States (Israel and Indonesia).
1