Conflict escalation in the Middle East revisited: thinking through interstate rivalries and state-sponsored terrorism. Issue 2 (3rd March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Khan, Akbar; Zhaoying, Han
• Is Part Of: Israel affairs. Volume 26:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 242
• Page End: 256
• Publication Date: 2020-03-03
• Subjects: Terrorism -- Iran -- Hezbollah -- Israel -- Saudi Arabia -- Yemen -- Houthis -- state-sponsored terrorism -- non-state actors -- conflict escalation; Israel -- History -- 1933- -- Periodicals; 956.94054
• DOI: 10.1080/13537121.2020.1720115
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1353-7121

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This article argues that state sponsorship of terrorism is a by-product of conflicting relations between states that are generally hostile towards each other. States harbour and drive non-state actors, aiming to create security concerns to the target states, which provoke the target states to take retaliatory actions against the host and/or the terrorist group in a bid to avoid destabilization, uncertainty, and a possible shift in the balance of power between the sponsoring and target state. At this juncture, state sponsorship of terrorism contributes to escalating the conflict. Hence, this type of terrorism should not be treated as a distinct form of violence but as a corollary of interstate rivalries. Iran's sponsorship of Hezbollah and the Houthis against the backdrop of its rivalry with Israel and Saudi Arabia offers a vivid demonstration of this escalatory dynamic.