جغرافيا الجماعات المسلحة وتأثيرها في العلاقات الدولية: منطقة الشرق الأوسط انموذجاً

    This research paper examines the phenomenon of the geographical expansion of armed groups, their nature, and their roles in the Middle East, as well as their relationship with regional states and major powers. Particular emphasis is placed on radical Islamist, Kurdish, and Shiite groups that possess military capabilities and constrain the state’s ability to exercise full control over its territory. The study analyzes their objectives and the implications of their activities for regional and international relations, as well as for the policies of regional states and great powers in arming these actors. To better understand the transformation of the Middle Eastern geopolitical landscape, the paper offers a new empirical and analytical perspective on the influence of five prominent actors—Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham—especially in the aftermath of the upheavals that have shaken the region since 2011. It seeks to clarify and analyze the underlying factors that have driven both armed groups and states into patterns of cooperation and hostility.

    The findings indicate that the interventions of these states, collectively, have exacerbated instability in the region by empowering these groups vis-à-vis the political regimes in their countries, thereby complicating the situation and generating an endless cycle of proxy warfare.