Many states in the Third World remain fragile and prone to collapse because they face challenges from cohesive groups within their borders. Such groups form ''states-within-states'' having many of the functional characteristics of states--including administrative structures, defined territories, and armed militias--but their status remains contested and unclear. From Colombia to Lebanon, from Iraqi Kurdistan to the Sudan, the contests between central control and regional autonomy often turn violent and pose severe humanitarian challenges problematic to the international community given the norms of sovereignty and non-intervention in domestic affairs.