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| Greater Middle East | |
|---|---|
| Name | Greater Middle East |
| Settlement type | Geopolitical region |
| Subdivision type | Countries |
Greater Middle East The term "Greater Middle East" denotes a geopolitical and policy-oriented regional grouping encompassing parts of North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Central Asia, and the Arab world alongside Iran and Turkey. Used in policy discourse by actors such as the United States Department of State, the European Union, and the G8, the phrase has informed initiatives linked to the War on Terror, democratization efforts, and regional strategic planning. Debate about its boundaries and legitimacy involves scholars from institutions like Harvard University, Oxford University, Brookings Institution, and Chatham House.
The label arose as an elastic geopolitical identifier applied by policymakers in Washington and European capitals to group countries including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Turkey, Cyprus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Iran. Analysts at the Council on Foreign Relations and think tanks including the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the RAND Corporation have treated the term as both descriptive and prescriptive, linking it to initiatives such as the Greater Middle East Initiative promoted at the 2004 G8 Summit in Sea Island, Georgia.
The concept traces intellectual roots to earlier regional constructs like the Near East and the Middle East used by the British Empire and Ottoman Empire administrators, and to Cold War-era frameworks that included the Central Treaty Organization and the Baghdad Pact. Post-9/11 policy shifts during the administrations of George W. Bush and in dialogues involving Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac reframed regional approaches, intersecting with operations such as Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Scholarly precedents appear in works by Bernard Lewis and policy reports from the National Intelligence Council and United States Institute of Peace that argued for broader regional integration to address transnational challenges like al-Qaeda, ISIS, and illicit networks.
Geographically the area overlaps with the Arab League membership, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation participants, and former Soviet Union republics in Central Asia. Political regimes range from monarchies such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan to republics like Egypt, Iraq, and Iran, and post-Soviet states including Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Regional organizations interacting with the concept include the Gulf Cooperation Council, the African Union, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. External powers shaping the region have included Russia, China, France, United Kingdom, and Turkey, while international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have engaged through economic programs.
The region is characterized by linguistic diversity—Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Kurdish languages, Berber languages, and Turkic languages in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan—and religious pluralism involving Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, Christian communities, and Judaism. Economic profiles include hydrocarbon exporters like Saudi Aramco-dominated Saudi Arabia and Qatar alongside resource-poor states such as Jordan and Lebanon. Urban centers such as Cairo, Istanbul, Tehran, Baghdad, Riyadh, Dubai, Doha, Algiers, and Tunis serve as hubs for finance, trade, and culture, while educational institutions like the American University of Beirut, Cairo University, and Bilkent University influence regional intellectual currents.
The region has been a focal point for interstate conflicts like the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the Israel–Palestine conflict, and intrastate contests including the Syrian civil war, the Yemeni Civil War, and insurgencies involving Boko Haram and al-Shabaab. Great power involvement includes naval deployments in the Persian Gulf, Suez Canal security concerns, and counterterrorism cooperation with agencies such as the CIA, MI6, and DGSE. Arms transfers and alliances feature actors like NATO, Israel Defense Forces, and regional security dialogues at forums like the Munich Security Conference and United Nations sessions addressing sanctions and peacekeeping.
Critics from universities and policy centers including SOAS University of London and Stanford University argue the term masks heterogeneity, echoes colonial cartography debates associated with figures like T. E. Lawrence and Lord Curzon, and instrumentalizes states for strategic agendas tied to neoliberal reform models promoted by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch contend that top-down interventions advocated under the banner of regional transformation often neglect local civil society groups like Karam Foundation and activists linked to the Arab Spring uprisings centered in Tahrir Square and Manama. Debates also engage scholars such as Noam Chomsky and Edward Said on orientalism and representational politics.
The label influenced policies including diplomatic initiatives, counterterrorism strategies, and development assistance from entities like the European Commission and the United States Agency for International Development. It informed multilateral dialogues at the G20 and bilateral relations between states such as United States–Iran (indirectly), Russia–Syria, and China’s engagement through the Belt and Road Initiative. Legacy effects appear in migration patterns through routes to Greece and Italy, in energy markets affecting OPEC dynamics, and in legal instruments debated at the International Court of Justice and the UN Security Council.
Category:Geopolitical regions