The Function and the Role Played by the Anti-System Groups in the West Asia's Deterrence System (The Application of Western-American View in the Emergence of an Indigenous Regional Order)

Document Type : Original Article

Author

PhD student in International Relations, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The classical deterrence theory is not limited to developing an explanation of stability in the relations maintained by the superpowers that have strategic coordination globally. However, this theory is not capable of explaining how deterrence functions in complicated and riot-stricken regions. In other words, in cold war era, the deterrence system merely acted in the relations between superpowers through nuclear deterrence, which subsequently resulted in the transferring of conflicts to regions further down, including the West Asia region. However, in the wake of the cold war era, the world is witnessing the performance of the deterrence system in the West-Asia region as a complicated and riot-ridden regional order, that can explained through the complex deterrence theory. Complex deterrence system includes various actors and subsystems, an important one of which is the actors that play their role in the anti-systemic groups that have a determining role in the deterrence subsystems in the West Asia region. This aspect has been ignored in regional studies and international relations. Now, the present question in this research is that what is the function and role played by the anti-systemic groups in the deterrence system in West Asia's regional order. The hypothesis in this research is that "anti-systemic groups cause the deterrence system in West Asia region to function in disparate and asymmetric circumstances". Therefore, the present research is aimed at providing a theoretical model on the role that anti-systemic groups play in the complex deterrence system in order to help enrich the theoretical literature of the international relations field. This research has been organized and conducted by using causal functional-structural method.

Keywords

References

 
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  • Receive Date: 21 January 2019
  • Revise Date: 23 March 0621
  • Accept Date: 28 May 2019

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