The problem of security fragility in weak states: Syria as a case study

Abstract

The main security threats facing weak states can be catastrophic and arise primarily -although not exclusively- from internal and domestic sources, in a way that later opens the door for foreign sources for manipulative states to interfere and influence.

Taking Syria as a case study, it became clear that the combination of its weakness and the internal threats that surrounded it during the past decade created a unique security challenge for it. It is special challenge because it arose from confronting internal threats, rather than external threats to the existence of the nation-state. Yes, Syria's neighbors have been implicated in external interference in its internal affairs and battles, but by proxy and not explicitly. This was done because of the internal justifications that gave them a window to interfere and influence internal affairs.