The Buffer state and political stability .case study: Iraq

Some political unrest regions in the planet have acted as buffer between great powers. Such countries become buffer states if they have less power in comparison to other countries, especially their neighbors. The geographical space of these countries is geopolitically valuable and has attractions for regional and trans-regional political actors. The atmosphere of each buffer includes external and internal functions with degrees of importance that could emerge at different roles based on the temporal and spatial conditions. The governments of buffer countries are so fragile and unstable. Sometimes this situation is done by the great powers and sometimes from within the buffer state country. The 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States discredited Iraq as a strong and effective country in the region. After the fall of the Baathist regime, Iraq became a buffer state, resulted in different and complicated consequences for the country in the last two decades.The main purpose of this study, which has been carried out based on descriptive-analytical method and library resources, is to evaluate the role of buffer state in the political stability of Iraq; by investigating its internal and external functions. Findings indicate that the situation of buffer state and its functions has led to numerous challenges, and as a result, the security atmosphere of Iraq has been vulnerable, fragile and sensitive that provides a suitable platform for the birth of political tensions, and consequently, political instability and endangering the national security of Iraq.