%0 Journal Article %T Fragile States: the Birthplace of Non-State Armed Groups in West Asia %J Journal of World Sociopolitical Studies %I University of Tehran %Z 2588-3119 %A Sharbaf, Javad %D 2019 %\ 04/01/2019 %V 3 %N 2 %P 233-270 %! Fragile States: the Birthplace of Non-State Armed Groups in West Asia %K fragile state %K Military Power %K non-state armed groups %K unstable security %K Western Asia %R 10.22059/wsps.2020.282368.1107 %X Due to both internal and external factors, Western Asia has long been suffering from security tribulations and political instability. The institution of various military and militia groups in the region in the absence of powerful central governments is the leading cause of most crises in Western Asia. The development of such security and military interactions outside the sovereignty framework paves the way for foreign interventions, making the region unstable and insecure. Working at times as proxy agents, these groups take action in the absence of a powerful stable central government in short term, and set the ground for sustained unrest, dispersion and the development of irresponsible armed groups in long term. These groups proliferate when the central governments lack the necessary persuasive power or lose the ability to manage crises and to exercise exclusive power for reasons such as lack of effective military power, disagreement over the quality of interaction with opposition groups, losing the monopoly of military power, intervention of regional or transboundary powers, high financial and organizing abilities of the militia, etc. This article is based on the hypothesis that the development and continuous growth of non-state armed groups stems from various internal and external reasons, causing security crisis in the concerned countries. The most crucial way to end these crises is empowering the central government through national cohesiveness, consensus, and the exclusive practice of hard power based on the law. %U https://wsps.ut.ac.ir/article_75035_5dd163299b541358db4ce61b9d56d25b.pdf