Interrogating the Impact of 9/11 on Violent Non-state Groups.

The 9/11 attacks intensified the proliferation of international laws centered on the norm of non-combatant immunity and underscoring the illegitimacy of using violence against civilians, regardless of justifications and root causes. While scholars have critically examined how this legislation was interpreted and implemented by states and international organizations, the response of groups labeled as 'terrorist' remains under-explored. To what extent have these norms impacted violent groups themselves? I assess whether and to what extent violent groups have changed their strategies and discourses after 9/11 to ascertain to what extent violent non-state actors respond to international norms and pressure. Following an analysis of the discourse of selected groups in India and Sri Lanka, I find that while anti-terrorism norms are handicapped by the inability of states to prosecute non-state actors, the active contestation of the label of 'terrorism' suggests that such groups are not immune to normative pressures. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]