Paramilitarism and Localization of Forces: Hamidian Regiments and Temporary Village Rangers

Throughout the history, conventional armies under the command of central authorities were suffered from difficulties against local forces, and in each period of history, regardless to the geography, they could not succeed without the support of local elements. Both imperial and central powers have often had to cooperate with the local forces to maintain their hegemony. In addition, the central authorities have reinforced their armies, which are the main elements of their power, with the local forces they established and shared their own command and control resources with the local powers. However, the involvement of local forces in military operations has caused many Political, administrative and military impacts on the geography. The dynamics of globalization and localization have entered our intellectual life especially with the concepts of democratization and liberalization since the last thirty five years. In the aftermath of the Cold War, there is no detailed study of the military processes and results of these concepts, which gained momentum along with the technological revolution. The aim of this study is to examine the consequences of local forces engaging instead of central army or with the central army in cases where the central authority is insufficient and to give a historical explanation of the experiences of cause-effect. Keywords: Globalization, Localization, Military Operation, Local Forces, Hamidian Regiments, II. Abdülhamit, Village Rangers, Paramilitarism