Document Type : Original Independent Original Article
Authors
1 PhD student of International Relations, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Theology and Religions, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
At present, non-state actors are also engaged in regional and international systems. In the Middle East, certain factions have successfully bolstered their influence in the region by attaining authority and bolstering their military capacities, thus impacting the stability and security arrangements. The current historical period has seen a significant focus on researching the role of non-state players in the Middle East, mostly due to regional tensions and ongoing crises. This article employs qualitative research methods, case study approaches, theoretical frameworks, and utilizes library and internet resources to investigate the influence of non-state actors, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza and Palestine, Shia forces in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen, on the stability and power balance in the Middle East regional system. The hypothesis suggests that non-state entities have the potential to serve as a deterrence in the primary power struggle between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel in the Middle East. They have the ability to avert the disruption of regional power equilibrium and the occurrence of a widespread and highly intense conflict, therefore avoiding instability, imbalance, and the collapse and transformation of the regional system.
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